Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga
by SonicChaosEmerald
Summary: The Floating Island: The home of the infamous Demon Crown. Many have tried to set their hands on it for ultimate power, but few have ever succeeded. With the sudden activation of a young scout robot within it's cave systems, will history be doomed to repeat itself, or will the cycle finally be broken for good?
1. Prologue: Landing

**_Journal entry - November 17, 2042_**

 ** _The Floating Island..._**

 ** _Over decades of time passing has this location been a bane to the surface world's survival for what lies on it. Over this time, greedy individuals seek out it's massively destructive relic that lies upon it... The Demon Crown._**

 ** _The Demon Crown is a relic of power... and corruption, of massive power. A magic raging so hard that it can be traced back many years before it even first appeared on the island._**

 ** _A horrible power is behind it; I can almost feel it inside my soul. No matter how many times a wielder of the crown is defeated or the crown itself is destroyed, it always comes back, luring a new power-hungry fool to try and take the crown for themselves. It is a cycle; a cycle that has repeated again and again._**

 ** _...I am not sure what possesses me to do this. Maybe the strain of anguish reigning on my mind, or maybe I have simply gone insane from the repeating cycle. But this can not go any longer._**

 ** _I am sending my own force to battle the crown's insatiable power._**

 ** _I may have not seen what have gone down with my own eyes, but with who I am sending, taking on a complete army of enraged Mimiga under the Crown's control would be suicide. They may be able to handle one or two, but an entire legion would decimate them._**

 ** _No. I'm going to have them do something different._**

 ** _They are already sending a new batch of soldier class robots to the island to claim the crown... but if the two my father made are slipped into the batch..._**

 ** _...they can carry out their orders._**

 ** _Find the source of power for that Crown._**

 ** _And destroy it for good._**

 ** _These two I am sending are my father's greatest creations; the durability and skill of a highly programmed A.I., yet so close to human he consider them his own children, much like myself. Now I will give them purpose. They know and trust me enough from my father's experience to do the right thing._**

 ** _To destroy that crown._**

 ** _And once the situation dies down after the next outburst has stopped, I shall mount an expedition to the island. Disguised as an ordinary expedition for studying what little Mimiga remain, if there are any, it will be to retrieve these two; my robotic siblings._**

 ** _...I know you two will not hear this, but I pray for your victory..._**

 ** _-Daisuke_**

* * *

"Honey! Come on now, it's time for us to go!" A woman's voice echoed through the household as a young girl, dark tan skin and green hair with a scar across the bridge of her nose was putting on her blue sweater. She sighed, grabbing her small backpack and slinging it onto her back as she went down the stairs of their house.

"Mom... why am I going along again?" The girl asked the taller green haired woman, wearing a white coat and a large suitcase by her side.

"Sue..." The older woman said. "You know we can't just leave you here all alone. The only one who could responsibly look after you is your brother Kazuma, and he's needed to fly our transport to the island."

The girl sighed, obviously distressed about the entire situation. "But mom..."

"Honey, please." The older woman said. "I know you want to stay here, but your father had planned this trip for us for quite a while. Can you at least do it for him?"

"...alright." Sue spoke, soon walking out the door and towards the van in front of their house. The sky was still the same gray overcast it has been, the massive mountain looming over the city in the background as Sue got into the van next to her older green-haired brother, Kazuma. Sue sighed, slumping back as her mother got into the van, starting it up.

"Now, one of my associates from work, Itoh, is going to be coming along with us, along with the professor. Be on your best behavior you two, understood?" The woman spoke.

"Yes mom..." Sue spoke, looking out the window at the surrounding grey city.

"Understood mother." Kazuma spoke.

"Thank you." The woman spoke as the van continued its journey to the airport. "One of your father's associates is also going to be there, so please do not do anything ridiculous, okay?"

"Yes mom..." Sue mumbled, still staring out the window.

"Is something wrong Sue?"

"No mom..." Sue merely responded, still looking out the window. Inside though, her mind was racing. Why was she going on this trip? What is the point of taking her along? She'd just be bored out of her mind during the entire thing. She was still thinking these as the van pulled in to the airport.

"We're here, prepare to disembark." The woman stated. She wasn't even through half her sentence when Sue had already left the vehicle.

"Alright, alright, let's get this over with..." Sue grumbled as she started walking towards one of the aircraft... then stopped as she had no idea as to which craft they were taking. She internally sweatdropped to herself as she tried to look at which craft they were taking.

"Uhhhm..." She muttered to herself as she tried to look for the correct craft... then felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"Ah, you must be Momorin's daughter, yes?" The voice said as Sue turned around, behind her being an old man wearing red-tinted glasses and a white lab coat.

"Oh! Professor Booster!" Sue said. "Y-yes, that's me."

"Well, it's certainly nice to see one of the Sakamoto's out and about." Booster spoke. "Ah, but where's the rest of your family?"

"Right here with me, professor!" Another voice said as a man with blue hair and a white coat came up to him along with Sue's mother and Kazuma. "I just met them outside the airport. I must have missed the little Sue with how far she got in here!"

Sue merely sweatdropped. "You must be Itoh, correct?" She asked.

"Indeed I am." The blue haired man spoke. "Now, we should be ready to embark t-"

"Now hold on Itoh." Booster spoke. "We're still missing our last associate coming with us."

"Right." Momorin spoke. "Doctor Fuyuhiko is supposed to be joining us, correct?"

"And correct you would be." A voice spoke from behind the group as the tall green-haired doctor, wearing a white lab coat with a red pen in its pocket and a suit under it, came up to the group. "Sincere apologies for my late arrival. My transport here was slightly delayed."

"It is alright, Date." Momorin spoke. "Now, my husband of mine is also to be joining us, no?"

"Ah, yes, sadly he got a call." The Doctor spoke. "It appears he's had to change plans and could not attend the investigation, as he had a call from one of the largest robotics companies for his father's work. He might be gone for a while, so he wanted me to relay that we go on the trip without him."

"So dad couldn't join us?" Kazuma spoke. "A shame, really. He would have loved the island."

"Ohohoho, I'm sure he would have Kazuma." The Doctor spoke. "Now, are the preparations ready for travel?"

"Everything is in order." Momorin spoke. "Let us be off for the island."

"Woohoo..." Sue mumbled to herself, but in the back of her mind she couldn't shake the feeling something was off about what the doctor said...

* * *

The twin-blade helicopter flew high above the clouds below as they rushed by like a ship at sea, the sun bright and glaring against the clear blue sky; how different the world looked above the clouds without them blocking the view! Sue, however, wouldn't seem to be enjoying the ride on the chopper; if anything, she wwanted to get to the island and out of the small space of the airborne vehicle.

"Mooooooom..." Sue moaned, upside down in her seat, staring at the ceiling. "Are we there yet?"

"Please, have patience Sue..." Momorin spoke. "It will still be a few more minutes until we land."

"But it's been over an hour since we got on!" The girl complained. "I wanna get out of this thing!"

"You know I could always push you off." Kazuma joked from the pilot's seat. "You're seeming like a real eager beaver about this trip."

"HEY!" Sue angrily responded. "I didn't even want to come on this trip! I wanted to stay home, but nooooooo! I had to come along because I can't be off home by myself!"

"Honey, please..." Momorin spoke, trying to calm her daughter. "Kazuma, please, just focus on flying the helicopter could you?"

"Understood mother." Kazuma responded. Sue would just sigh and take out a Gameboy from her pack and turn it on, trying to find something to satiate her nerves until they got to the island.

"We're going to be starting the landing process soon!" Itoh said. "Everyone buckle up, this may be a rough one!"

"Joy..." Sue sighed, attaching her seatbelt as the helicopter began its descent, landing a bit turbulently onto the island itself.

"Could've been at least a little bit gentler..." Sue mumbled to herself as she grabbed her bag.

 _"Kkkkkt! Thank you for flying Kazuma Airlines, we have arrived at our destination of the floating island. Please disembark the vehicle to see the beautiful surroundings of our location. We hope you choose to fly with us again, over! Kkkkkkt!"_ Kazuma said over the copter's intercom.

"Pfffft, oh my god Kazuma..." Sue muttered to herself as she disembarked the helicopter. "About time we got here, that took forever."

"Well, we are here now, no?" Momorin spoke. "And quite a beautiful island itself."

Sue would take in a deep breath, and her eyes would widen. "Woah..."

"Something wrong sweetie?" Momorin asked as Kazuma and Itoh came out of the copter.

"Th-the air is so... _clean_ up here!" She spoke, looking around. "It feels so refreshing this high up! How high are we anyways?"

"At least several miles, dear child." Professor Booster said as he dismounted the copter along with the Doctor. "It's unknown how the island itself keeps itself afloat. Some say it's due to a geo-magnetic force within its caverns that keeps it aloft. Others say it's magic from over centuries ago. It's truly a mystery in of itself."

"Magic?" Sue asked. "Isn't that sort of... I dunno, a cop-out?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that Sakamoto." The Doctor answered her. "Relics of great power have been discovered in the past before, it may be a similar case here."

"That's why my husband had arranged this trip, no?" Momorin spoke. "Answering these unsolved mysteries."

"Indeed." The Doctor spoke, looking onward past the group. "And I see a perfect place to start an investigation tomorrow once everything is set up." The others would turn around to see what appeared to be a large and fairly collapsed castle a bit aways from the group. Off in the distance there were many stone scaffoldings that appeared to be wearing down, and could collapse at any minute. Old banners bearing an insignia of a red eye could be seen across the structure. "Research has it that an old king originally ruled over this island before the war started, where he himself was a casualty in the process."

"You mean the one ten years ago? With all those robots?" Sue asked.

"You're quite the intelligent one, Sue." The Doctor responded. "It's an interesting topic, however, we can discuss this at another time."

"Indeed." Professor Booster spoke. "Let's get a base set up to start with. I will handle the living accommodations."

"Professor..." Itoh finally spoke. "Aren't you a little past your prime to work on construction?"

"You forget I have inventions for these sort of things." Booster responded, pulling out a small capsule. With a press of a button, he tossed it onto a level terrain area and soon enough it expanded and a bright flash of light occurred, a small prefab house now in the place of the small clearing. "I believe this should help accommodate for our needs."

"Intuitive as ever, Professor." Kazuma said. "Now, let's start getting the supplies unloaded."

* * *

After a couple hours and all the supplies were unloaded, sunset was starting to set on the island as it started to dip below the clouds. Sue had found herself sitting on the upper part of the balcony, next to a rather large statue of an almost angelic figure as she stared out into the orange sky and the setting sun, sighing.

"Thought you'd be here." Kazuma said, soon sitting down next to her as they stared out into the sunset. "What's up?"

"Nothing, really." Sue spoke, looking out across the orange cloudscape as the sun was setting. "It's... weird. Originally I wasn't looking forward to this trip... but this entire time so far has been way better than I was expecting. I mean, yeah, the ride here was a drag, but... the air is so much cleaner here than at home..."

"It is a nice change of pace, isn't it?" Kazuma asked.

"It is..." Sue spoke. "And the view is really nice too..."

"It truly is a new experience, being up on a floating island." Kazuma spoke. "I just wonder what is going to be in store for this thing mom and the others are going to be doing."

"Well, the professor is going to be working on a new booster pack to help with exploring the island." Kazuma spoke. "Not much you and I can do in the matter at the moment."

"Right. Mom wanted us to stay out of trouble while they do the research..." Sue sighed. "Sad, really. I wanted to do some exploring..."

"I've heard there's a Sky Dragon Egg incubation center on the island here." Kazuma spoke. "Supposedly it's been long abandoned."

Sue's eyes would widen. "No way."

"Yes way." Kazuma responded.

"Real-life Sky Dragons?!" Sue exclaimed. "I always heard they were a myth, but they might be real?!" Her eyes would lighten up in excitement. "I wanna go find that place!"

"Maybe tomorrow." Kazuma spoke. "If we went now, mother would get worried sick."

"True..." Sue answered, seeming sad. "But I wanna see the Sky Dragon eggs..."

"It is best not to bite off more than you can chew, young one..." A new voice spoke, seemingly... reptilian? Sue felt her skin freeze on end as her brother got up to look around for whoever made that voice.

"I didn't hear that myself, right?" Sue asked.

"No, I heard it too." Kazuma spoke. "Who's there? Show yourself?"

"Relax, young ones, I am not here to harm..." The voice said again as green hooded figure stepped out from behind the statue, much to the surprise of the two. "I am merely here to warn."

"Who... what... are you?" Sue asked, uncomfortable at the sight of the figure in front of them. The figure merely gave off a sharp toothy grin, that caused a chill to run up Sue's spine.

"I am known as Cthulhu." The figure spoke, extending a scaly clawed hand to point at the two. "And your group is going to behold a terrible fate unless you leave the island."

"Wh-what?" Kazuma stated. "What do you mean?"

"The island has a terrible power." Cthulhu spoke. "A power to destroy the surface world that a fool will unwittingly unleash, should you not leave this island."

"What are you talking about?" Sue said. "Explain!"

"All will be explained in due time, child..." The hooded figure said before moving around the corner of the statue.

"Hey! Get back..." Sue said as she rounded around the statue, only to find the hooded figure has disappeared entirely. "...here?"

"He disappeared?" Kazuma asked.

"How?!" Sue said. "There's no way someone could have disappeared like that!"

"Maybe it's best we head back to the shelter." Kazuma spoke.

"Agreed." Sue answered as the two raced back for the shelter...

* * *

That night Sue laid wide awake in her own bed, her thoughts still bugging her about her encounter with that... that _thing_. She couldn't exactly call it human; the island was supposed to be abandoned of those from what her mother had told her. So then who was that figure?

She sighed; she wouldn't get any thinking done restless tonight, it would merely get her nowhere. She would just try to get some sleep an-

Wait... was that footsteps? Now something got Sue curious, the girl getting out of bed and lightly cracking open the door to her room...

' _The Doctor?_ ' Sue asked herself as she saw the coated white man up and about. ' _What has him up so late?_ ' She saw him walking out the door to the prefab house, and now she couldn't resist her curiosity. Quickly getting dressed into her normal attire and grabbing her pack, she quietly followed the Doctor outside. The moonlight was casting its pale glow all across the terrain of the island. Sue could make out the Doctor's figure as he seemed to be heading off towards the fortress the house was nearby...

"Why is he heading there?" Sue asked herself as she followed the Doctor up the ruined stairs of the fortress. After a bit of climbing she soon found herself at the entrance, slowly moving inside as to not draw attention to herself.

What she saw inside both awed her and made her blood run cold.

Large torn tapestries were adorned on the walls as the moonlight flooded in through the windows of what appeared to be the throne room. A couple columns were collapsed around the area, meaning the ceiling could possibly give out at any moment...

But at the far end of the room stood the throne, with two smaller pedestals on them with two figures each encased in bubbles upon them. The one on the left appeared to be a large rectangular being with stubs for arms and legs, frozen in a state of shock while it was encased in the bubble. The one in the other bubble appeared to be a girl, much older than Sue currently was, holding a staff with a red jewel inside of it. She also appeared to be in a state of shock, but marginally less so than the giant walking... suitcase? Toaster? Sue couldn't tell, she had never seen anything so bizaare before.

And right there, resting on the seat of the throne itself, atop and old skull, appeared to be some sort of rectangular headgear of some sorts. It appeared to be metal, most probably iron, but with surprisingly no rust. At the top of the headgear on the front appeared to be a red round stone of sorts, acting as the iris and pupil for the eye engraving on the front of it, also engraved being what appeared to be black tear streaks upon it.

And above all, at the front of it all, staring the object down itself was none other than the Doctor. He walked slowly to the throne, chuckling to himself.

"Ohohoho..." He breathed, soon reaching the throne. "In my entire life, I never thought this day would come..."

' _What does he mean by that?_ ' Sue thought to herself as she hid behind a pillar.

"Finally... it is mine!" He spoke, raising the helmet like object above his head. "The Demon Crown! The relic of ultimate power! And with it..." He spoke, loweing it onto his head. "Nothing will be able to stop me. Nothing."

At that moment the bubbles burst as the figures descended feet first to the ground... well, the female did at least, giving a graceful landing on her feet as she bowed to the Doctor. The giant rectangular thing, however, seemed to faceplant ungracefully on the ground.

"Owwwwww..." The rectangle stated. "I feel pain."

"Balrog, shut up." The female spoke. "Can you not see we are in the presence of a new Master?"

"Master, hm?" The Doctor spoke. "Hmph, this may be more interesting than I expected..."

At this point Sue couldn't take anymore of this, as she rushed out from her hiding spot and looked at the Doctor square on.

"DOCTOR!" Sue yelled. "What are you doing?!"

' _Why did I do that?_ ' She internally cursed to herself as the Doctor soon turned to see her in the middle of the room.

"Ah, a gnat. How annoying." The Doctor spoke.

"Allow me, Master." The female spoke as soon she teleported in front of Sue, causing the girl to squeak as she fell back. "Now, let's have a bit of fun first..." She raised her staff as the gem in it began to glow. Sue out of instinct shielded her eyes, and prepared for the worst as she soon felt the spell hit her. She was trembling for a bit before she moved her hands... only to now find they were white furry paws! She screamed.

"Wh-WHAT AM I?!" Sue yelled.

"Helpless." The female said. "Now, come here-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She cried as she fled from the throne room. The Doctor seemed to be merely annoyed by the interference.

"Don't just stand there, after her!" He yelled. The female and the box-thing would nod as they game pursuit to the girl.

Soon enough they would have chased her to the edge of the island, the young girl-turned-creature now overlooking the rocky cliff and the cloudy sea below as the two approached from behind her.

"Well, would you look at that?" The female spoke. "Nowhere to run, or hide."

"Just come along with us now." The box-thing spoke. "You won't be harmed as long as you cooperate."

Sue's eyes darted frantically between the edge of the island and the two approaching figures, increasingly looking between the two before she hastily acted.

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME ALIVE!" She screamed as she dove off the side of the island. Both the box-thing and the female had a look of shock on their faces from the girl's actions.

"Shit, she dove off." The female cursed to herself.

"Welp, she's dead." The box-thing said. "Guess we gotta report back to the new master about this, don't we?"

"Not neccessarily." The female spoke. "She could very well have fallen into one of the rainwater pockets that flow into the island's artery. That would take her right to the village with all the Mimiga there."

"So we ambush her there!" The box-thing said.

"Not right now, Balrog." The female spoke. "We don't want to keep the master waiting. Now, let us report back."

The box-thing, Balrog, nodded before the two headed back off for the fortress...

* * *

Sue tensed up, her eyes clamped shut as she awaited what she thought was going to be a hard and painful death on the surface below, but would soon be surprised when she suddenly felt herself very wet and hard to breathe. She opened her eyes and found her vision blurry as she soon found herself being forcefully pushed along the current of the water, being thrown about left and right in a battered and bruising way before being thrown out of it. She soon temporarily found her breath again as she screamed in fear from the sudden weightlessness before she crashed into more water, fear setting into herself as she flailed. She couldn't tell where up or down was. She felt like her lungs were about to empty...

Suddenly, she felt something tug on her sweater, pulling her in a direction she didn't know where it was. Exhausted, feeling lightheaded, she soon found herself passed out as she felt the water around her disappear. When she came to, she was being held up by a hook; a fishing hook as she was soon looking at another new figure, though this one seemed vastly friendlier compared to the other faces she had recently seen; a Mimiga.

"Well, not everyday we get newcomers through the reservoir." The Mimiga spoke. "You alright? You look half-scared to death!"

"Y-you don't know the half of it." Sue coughed, a bit of water coming out of her mouth. "Can... you let me down now?"

"Oh! My apologies." The Mimiga said, setting Sue down on the dock. "Never seen a Mimiga like you around here before. What's you're name?"

' _What is he-_ ' Sue started to think before her mind thought to the events that happened not nearly an hour ago. ' _Oh, right, that. Probably best I keep the truth of me being a human unspoken for the better._ '

"S-Sue." Sue answered. "Sue Sakamoto."

"Well, Nice to meet ya Sue." The Mimiga responded, extending a hand. "Name's Kanpachi, resident fisher of the village."

Sue would hesitantly shake the hand. "There's a whole village down here?"

"Oof, you're _really_ not from around here are ya?" Kanpachi said.

"Not really, no." Sue stated. "C-can I see the rest of the village?"

"I don't see why not?" Kanpachi spoke as he led Sue across the dock towards the opening in the wall. After a short trip through a door, the two soon found themselves at the edge of a vast cavern, a massive tree growing in the center as wooden scaffolding and treehouses dotted the tree's massive branches. Near the base of the tree was a larger house and what appeared to be a shed of some kind. Higher up on the tree's branches would be a larger building, presumably an assembly hall of some kind, and above that a rocky outcropping that seemed to lead elsewhere. Way higher up than that near one of the town squares appeared to be some kind of ceiling shack with an old, broken scaffolding and staircase under it, presumably from disrepair.

Sue was in awe from the sights. "Woah..." She breathed, seemingly in a trance.

"Ya don't need to act so excited." Kanpachi spoke. "Not like there's much to here. It's home for me and the rest of the Mimigas, that's what counts."

"There's others?"

"Quite a few, actually." Kanpachi spoke. "Maybe I can getcha in to see King, he might be able to show ya around. Either that or make Jack do that."

"I have no idea who either of those two are, but okay." Sue spoke, letting Kanpachi lead her across the village. Her gaze would be led from looking as several other Mimiga were busy going about their business, a couple of young ones playing games like tag and such. It felt... odd, seeing this to Sue. These were supposedly the creatures involved in the robot war ten years ago? They don't look like they could hurt a fly!

"You alright there?" Kanpachi asked, snapping Sue out of her trance.

"I-I'm fine." Sue spoke. "A-are we there yet?"

"Indeed we are." Kanpachi replied, the two right outside the Assembly Hall. "King's a bit on the... gruff side, but you'll warm up to him the longer ya get to know him."

"That... doesn't raise my confidence." Sue answered, sweatdropping.

"Sorry." Kanpachi answered, sweatdropping himself as he opened the door. "Hey, King! We got a newcomer to the village!"

"A newcomer?" A gruff male voice said as a Mimiga wearing a tattered red cloak came forward, a sword across his back and his eyes seeming a bit red as if he hadn't got any sleep. The most notable feature of him however was the scar that seemed to run across the front of his face, from above his left eye to just below the right side of his muzzle. "Well, this is a first. Haven't had any new ones come in ever since the Colons left for the Sand Zone residence a while back. Who might you be?"

"Sue, Mr. King." Sue responded, a bit unnerved by his presence.

"No need for the formalities." King responded. "Just call me King."

"R-right." Sue spoke. "I'm new here, do you mind if I get a look around?"

"Well, I'm a bit busy now with certain formal work," King spoke, crossing his arms. "But, I think Jack could show ya around a bit if that helps."

"Anything would, please." Sue responded. "I seriously have no clue where anything is here."

"Sheesh, alright kid." King spoke. "Any more confusion and I'd be certain you're not even from the island."

Sue felt her heart stop for a moment at those words, but tried to keep her emotions under control. "N-no, I'm from the island, just not here."

King's eyes would narrow a bit before shrugging off the feeling. "A'ight, I'll get Jack to show ya around. Just try not to get into any trouble."

"Understood." Sue responded, internally sighing in relief as soon another Mimiga came forward, wearing a green jacket with a belt that had a case pocket and what appeared to be an winter hat of some kind along with large glasses. His whiskers would also be a bit more visible then most other Mimigas.

"So, you're the newbie?" The Mimiga asked. "Name's Jack, number two of the village. I'll go ahead and show ya around."

"Well, guess I'll head on back to the reservoir then." Kanpachi said, turning away. "Maybe I'll be able to nab myself that one Chinfish by this point..."

Jack would sweatdrop. "Yeah, keep trying." He spoke, before looking to Sue. "So! Shall I start the tour?"

"Y-yes please." Sue spoke as Jack led her out of the Assembly Hall.

"You've already been to the Reservoir first hand, so we can skip over that." Jack spoke. "Guess the first place we'll start is Yamashita Farm."

' _A farm?_ ' Sue thought. ' _Wonder what they grow there... wait!_ ' "Hey, uh, Jack?" Sue asked.

"What's up?" The Mimiga responded.

"Pardon my curiousity, but, what's that structure up there?" She asked, pointing to the ceiling shack.

"Oh, that?" Jack asked. "Eh, that's just one of our old storage shacks we had that led to the old hermit that lives up there. Never was able to socialize well with us after the bubble gun incident, an-"

"Snrk!" Sue covered her mouth, trying to hold in a giggle.

"Yeah I know, sounds ridiculous, but it was a thing." Jack spoke, deadpanning at Sue's reaction. "Just after the old scaffoding collapsed no one ever bothered to rebuild it. Who knows what the man is up to by this point."

Sue would shrug, still following Jack up to the rocky outcropping before reaching the entrance of a wooden arch. Through another short tunnel the two were met with the sight of a flowering field of various different colors, all seeming to bloom.

"Wooooww..." Sue breathed.

"Yep, biggest farm we've got on the entire island." Jack spoke. "Well, aside from the old abandoned one higher up in the island, but King said that area's off limits."

"Why's that?" Sue asked.

"Said it had something to do with the soil up there being tained with crimson flowers grown there, something rather... _unhealthy_ for Mimigas like us." Jack responded, shuddering a bit. "In fact, King's the only one here in the village who's survived eating one of 'em."

"Really?" Sue asked. "Is that why his eyes are different from the rest of the Mimigas here?"

"Apparently." Jack said. "Said he cooked 'em or whatever and he ate 'em before they turned his eyes red. Now he's one of the strongest Mimiga in the entire village!"

"I could tell, based on his... presence." Sue shuddered. "But, what happens when you eat a raw red flower?"

"Your blood boils and ya nearly die in an instant!" Another voice said, causing Sue to panic and Jack to groan.

"Dagnabbit Sandaime, can you not scare the newbie while I'm trying to show them around?!" Jack yelled at the Mimiga under the small pavilion.

"Aw come on Jack, lighten up a little!" The Mimiga responded.

Jack would sigh, turning to Sue. "Don't mind him, he can just be a bit blunt at times."

"A-alright..." Sue shuddered. "Next place?"

"Right." Jack spoke. "Let's go see Ar-" The two were interrupted by the sound of a lightning strike coming from back at the village. "What was that?!"

"Huh?" Sue asked as Jack ran right past her, her being hot on his footsteps.

* * *

Jack and Sue no sooner got back to see Mimigas running in blind panic as several parts of the scaffolding were on fire, none other than the blue-haired female now in the village. She kept flicking her staff, several Mimiga disappearing with each flick.

"What in tarnation?!" Jack yelled, soon catching the attention of the female figure as she soon smirked upon laying eyes on Sue.

"Ah, there you are..." She spoke, her voice uncomfortably happy. "Now, come along with me. The Doctor is wait- AAAGHH!" She was interrupted as she was struck in the back by King with his sword, causing her to stumble. "Why you-!"

"Find somewhere to hide!" King yelled. "I'll deal with this bitch!"

"Right, come on Sue!" Jack yelled, grabbing her by the paw and pulling her off towards one of the bigger houses near the base of the tree.

"Oh you are not going to like what I do next..." The female growled.

"Tempt me." King growled back, soon finding himself behind Misery, blade pressed to her throat. "You're going to tell me what the hell you're doing here right now or else you're losing your life!"

"NNNNGH!" The female growled, soon firing a lighting spell to strike King, but the Mimiga leaped off before the spell connected.

"Well, that didn't work too well now did it?" King commented.

The female gritted her teeth before throwing a large block she materialized out of thin air right at King. The Mimiga braced himself for the impact, but soon the rock shattered as the chunks fell to the sides. King opened his eyes to see another Mimiga, ruffled fur wearing an orange vest, brandishing a sword of his own.

"Need a hand King?" The Mimiga spoke.

"About time Arthur." King shot back, getting up. "High time we show this witch how we Mimigas fight!"

"Agreed!" King roared as the two lunged for the female. She growled in response and swung her staff, firing a slew of black energy shots right at the two, with Arthur slicing through them and attempting to take a stab at the female. He nearly missed, just barely clipping her side as she warped away, two black rings starting to surround her.

"I'm not going to lose to a bunch of damn furballs!" Misery growled, soon summoning three black gelatinous orbs from her staff. "Let's see how you like a taste of these!"

"Oh just try me!" King yelled, rushing at the orbs.

"King, wait!" Arthur yelled as he tackled the Mimiga out of the way as soon the orbs had shimmered and came down faster than lightning in just a fraction of a second, singing the ground right where King had been before. "Why you!" Arthur growled, rushing Misery with his blade as he took another swing at the witch.

Misery merely smirked as she soon swatted the Mimiga in the face with her staff. "No, _you_." Misery said as Arthur tumbled to the ground. "Hmph, you two won't be cooperative to the Doctor's need. He has no use for rowdy subjects." She smirked as she summoned a large stalactite over King. "I'll just merely kill one of you and let the emotional scarring do the rest. Maybe by then you'll cooperate enough to go willingly." With that, she flung the stalactite down at King. The Mimiga clamped his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable...

...and then felt a sharp shove come as he felt himself being pushed aside. He didn't know what was going on before he opened his eyes, as if time was slown down.

 _Arthur had pushed him out of the way to save his life._

With barely any time for a reaction the stalactite pierced Arthur and crashed through the scaffolding floor, plummeting down to the ground below near the base of the tree. King couldn't speak; the sheer shock of what had happened had left him speechless.

"Hmmm... not the one I was aiming for, but oh well." The female spoke. "The trauma should wor-"

"MIIISERYYYYYYY!" Came a voice as Balrog landed on the floor, a worried expression on his face.

The female, Misery, would sigh. "Balrog, what possibly inane thing could you be pestering me about _this time? Can't you see I'M BUSY?_ " She growled.

"Well, uh..." Balrog started. "You know how you've been sending all those Mimiga to the Plantation?"

"Yes I know!" Misery angrily said. "My teleportation spells aren't _that_ bad long distance."

"N-not the problem." Balrog replied. "Y'see, they haven't exactly calmed down yet; they're still in a blind panic about the whole thing, and, well..."

"Well _what?!_ " Misery angrily snapped at him.

"The Drolls that are supposed to be watching them thought, well..." Balrog stated, uneasy. "That it'd be a good idea to eat the Mimiga?"

Misery's expression changed to that of which can only be described as 'Oh shit.'

"And that's not even the worst part!" Balrog spoke.

"What NOW?" Misery said, visibly distressed.

" _IN ALL THE COMMOTION GOING ON THERE, THAT GREEN-HAIRED PUNK AND THE GEEZER ESCAPED!_ " Balrog explained. "The Doctor is wanting to see you right now!"

"Oh no..." Misery gumbled, holding her head before glaring daggers at King. "Mark my words, this isn't over you furball." She growled before warping out of the room. Balrog would merely look over at King confused, who would return the look.

"Uhhh... hi?" Balrog said.

" _Leave._ " King growled.

"OooookayIdon'tneedtobehereanylongerbye." was what came out of Balrog's mouth before he lept into the ceiling out of sight. King sighed as he looked around at the partial ruins scattered around the village.

"ALRIGHT!" King yelled. "THE THREAT IS GONE, WE'RE SAFE FOR NOW! EVERYONE MEET IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL; I WANT A HEAD COUNT NOW!"

* * *

Meanwhile when all the action of Misery fighting King had been going on, Jack had taken Sue to the larger house down near the bottom of the village. Jack had all but shoved Sue inside the larger house before slamming the door behind the two, panting heavily.

"Oh my god..." Sue panted. "Wh-what are they doing here?!"

" _Who_ were they is what I'm asking!" Jack panted, slumped against the door. "What the hey would a witch want to do with our village?!"

"A what now?" Another voice said as Jack looked up to see the orange-vested Mimiga with the sword on his back.

"Oh, Arthur." Jack panted. "There's this witch attacking the village, King is fighting her right now an-"

"Wait, what does she look like?" Arthur spoke, interrupting Jack.

"Blue hair, green clothing, staff with a blood-red gem in it?" Jack responded, causing realization on Arthur's face.

"Shoot, this is trouble." Arthur said, pushing past Jack. "I need to help King or else that witch is going to kill him."

"Arthur-"

"Hey, next to King I'm the strongest Mimiga here. He could use the assistance." Arthur spoke, smirking. "Just watch after Torko until this entire thing is done, okay?" He didn't even give Jack a chance to finish before dashing towards the center of the village.

"Arthur..." Jack sighed, shaking his head. "I swear he's going to get himself killed one of these days..."

"Who was that?" Sue asked.

"Oh that?" Jack responded. "That was Arthur, one of the village's own heroes. He's the strongest next to King, and definitely one of the strongest Mimigas around."

"He seems a bit... headstrong?" Sue asked.

"Cocky I think is a better descriptor." Jack said. "And that's what worries me."

"Big brother?" A female voice spoke, catching Sue off guard.

"Don't worry Toroko, he said he'd be back." Jack reassured the female voice. "It's safe to come out right now."

A white head peeked around the corner before a young Mimiga came out, wearing a green vest. "Jack, where did he go?"

"He had something to deal with Toroko, he'll be back." He reassured. "In the meantime, why not introduce yourself to the newbie here?"

"Hi..." Sue said sheepishly, waving her hand.

"Hi!" Toroko said. "I'm Toroko, who are you?"

"Sue." She responded. "Nice to meet you. This is where you live?"

"Mhm!" Toroko responded. "It's nice and cozy here, quite large for just me and my brother!" She responded. "C'mon, I'll show you around!" She said, taking Sue by the hand.

"H-hey, woah!" Sue said as Jack merely chuckled, though he was still worried about the battle going on outside.

"Right here is the teleporter!" Toroko said. "Sometimes my big brother gets called out to the Grasstown or to the Sand Zone from other Mimiga that need his help. It's really a cool thing we have here!"

Sue would feel the metal of the teleporter base against her hand. "Woah, so this thing can go anywhere?"

"Only to set locations I think." Toroko said. "Brother never taught me how to work this thing."

"Let me take a look." Jack said, walking over to the computer screen. "Well lesse, we got an IM chat, and here's the destination coordinates folder... eh? What's this place called an Egg Corridor?"

Sue's ears would perk up a bit. "Egg Corridor?"

"Yeah, looks like some sort of incubation place for dragons." Jack said, looking through the files. "Why would _this_ be on here of all things?!"

"No clue." Sue shrugged, but in the back of her mind she made a mental note to keep track of that.

"But yeah, it's super cool to have you around!" Toroko said. "We don't get a lot of visitors from outside the village."

"Well... happy to be here, I guess?" Sue said, shrugging awkwardly. "I... don't exactly know how to respond in this sort of situation."

"Aw, it'll be fine pal." Jack said, giving Sue a pat on the back. "You'll get used to it here."

' _Not too long I hope..._ ' Sue thought to herself as a loud crash came from outside, startling the three Mimigas, causing Toroko to hide again.

"What in san hill..." Jack muttered to himself as he headed for the door. "Whatever's going on out there seems to be rather destructive."

"Just don't bring it in here, thanks." Sue said to herself before going to comfort Toroko. "Hey, it's okay..."

The Mimiga would inch out of her hiding spot. "A-are the bad noises gone?"

"I think so..." Sue said, trying to think of something to cheer up the scared Mimiga. She then got an idea as she took off her pack and dug out her Gameboy.

"Huh?" Toroko asked. "What's that?"

"It's a Gameboy." Sue said, giving it to Toroko. "It's like a pocket entertainment device. Try it out!"

Toroko would look confused as she slid the power button on. A ping would sound that startled her for a second, but would soon go away as the title screen booted up, showing the game name of 'Kirby's Dream Land 2'.

"Oh?" Toroko asked, starting up the game.

"That's a good one. A bit hard though." Sue spoke. "I have some other ones if you wanna try them out."

"Can I at least see how far I get in this one though?" Toroko asked.

Sue would smile warmly. "I don't see why not." She said, sitting next to Toroko as she played on the device for a bit, before King yelled from outside.

"ALRIGHT!" King yelled. "THE THREAT IS GONE, WE'RE SAFE FOR NOW! EVERYONE MEET IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL; I WANT A HEAD COUNT NOW!"

"Guess that means we gotta go." Sue said, getting up. "C'mon Toroko."

"Aww, but I almost beat the tree boss!" Toroko whined.

"We'll continue after the head count, okay?" Sue said. Toroko nodded as she and Sue headed out of the house...

* * *

"...eleven... twelve... thirteen." Jack said, counting the Mimigas in the Assembly Hall. "Thirteen Mimigas left after the attack."

"Out of nearly thirty." King sighed. "That's not good. Those... _things_ , whatever they are, took out over half the village. And if they come back, who knows how many more they'll take."

"It certainly isn't good." A wider Mimiga said. "How are we gonna keep ourselves alive at this rate?"

"I'm not entirely certain." King spoke. "At the current moment, it seems best we just let the situation ride out and wait until it's less of a hassle to deal with."

"K-King?" Toroko asked, coming out from behind Sue. "Wh-where's big brother?"

King hung his head sadly, and that told the Mimigas all they needed to know. Silence swept over the room as they silently mourned for the loss of one of the village's greatest heroes.

Sue remained silent throughout the whole thing until King had spoken again.

"Until we can come up with a plan to rescue our captured friends, we can only ride out the time for now until this whole thing blows over." King spoke. "Dismissed."

The Mimigas slowly began to shuffle out of the Assembly Hall... except for Toroko, who ran sobbing back to the massive house at the bottom of the tree. Sue was about to follow her...

"Sue." King spoke. "Could I see you for a minute?"

The Mimiga girl felt uneasy as King spoke that, but nevertheless she listened and walked over to King. "Y-yeah King?"

"Look, I don't want to be the one pointing the finger here." He spoke. "But do you know anything about why those two attacked us?"

Sue froze. "N-no King. I don't." She lied, afraid if King might snap at her if she answered she did know.

King's eyes narrowed. "Your expression and demeanor is telling me otherwise. If you know something about this, spit it out now."

"I-I don't, I swear!" Sue stammered.

King's eyes would narrow. "I'll let you go for now... but I don't fully trust you on your word." He spoke. "Just keep yourself out of trouble."

"U-Understood." Sue spoke.

"We'll hold the funeral for Arthur tomorrow." King spoke. "Make sure you're there."

"W-will do." Sue answered before scampering back down to the larger house and shutting the door behind her, locking herself in. She could hear Toroko's sobs coming from the upper level, and it saddened her. She soon went to the upper floor and sat down on the bed, next to the crying Mimiga.

"B-big brother..." Toroko sobbed. "H-he's gone..."

Sue would merely hug Toroko, rubbing her back. "It'll be okay Toroko..." Sue whispered to her. "Everything is going to be fine..."

"H-how?!" Toroko sobbed. "B-bad people came and destroyed our village, and my brother... b-big brother..." She couldn't even finish her sentence as she burst into more tears.

Sue was at a loss for trying to find a way to comfort the distressed young Mimiga. A thought came to her head as she soon pulled her bag off again, pulling out a small silver locket of a fish, handing it to Toroko.

"H-huh?" The Mimiga asked. "Wh-what's this?"

"It's a locket." Sue asked. "In my family, it's passed down to someone else in the family when a close one they know has passed away."

"But... you're not related to me?" Toroko said.

"While that may be true, I still feel like it's the right thing to do." Sue spoke.

Toroko would sadly smile. "Th-thank you Sue..." She said, hugging her.

Sue would return the hug in silence, but inside her mind fear was racing. How long would she be able to keep this up? She knew she couldn't stay forever or else she'd risk getting all the others captured, but she couldn't leave for good or else Toroko would be shattered. It was hard for her to think on it as she soon found out the incident had only just begun...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Prologue** **End**_


	2. Chapter 1: Reboot

_**/Exterior damage sustained... Assessing...**_

 _ **/Systems Nominal**_

 _ **/External shell 75.34654% undamaged**_

 _ **/Assessing Internal damage...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **/Circuitry FUNCTIONAL**_

 _ **/Sensory Systems FUNCTIONAL**_

 _ **/Organic Components FUNCTIONAL**_

 _ **/Communications Systems OFFLINE**_

 _ **/Water Shield PERMANENT DAMAGE, REPAIR IMPOSSIBLE**_

 _ **/Heavy Artillery Shield PERMANENT DAMAGE, REPAIR IMPOSSIBLE**_

 _ **/Memory Banks 82% CORRUPTED**_

 ** _/Storing Corrupted Data for recovery..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _/Storing Complete_**

 ** _/Partitioning Temporary Memory Banks..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _/Partition Complete_**

 ** _/Rewriting Necessary Files..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _/Rewrite Complete_**

 ** _/BIOS Check FUNCTIONAL_**

 ** _/Motor Skills FUNCTIONAL_**

 ** _/Boosterpak Module MISSING_**

 ** _/Partner Uplink OFFLINE_**

 ** _/CPU running at 100% Efficiency_**

 ** _/Auto-repairing Damage_**

 ** _/Rebooting..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _/_** ** _Welcome back, Quote._**

A pair of dark blue eyes soon booted up from the spot on the ground as the figure, wearing a black tanktop and red pants with black boots and a green scarf tied around his neck, collapsed there slowly started to move, slowly starting to shift his body as he sat up where he was, holding his head in pain. Slowly his eyes would scan across the area of his surroundings; he appeared to be in some sort of small cave, a pool of water below the platform where he was. Off to the side was a small monitor with a red LCD screen glowing with a heart symbol on it, some strange piping running through the wall next to it as well. There appeared to be a few lamps attached to the cave's walls leading up and around to a location unknown.

The figure got to his feet, albeit a little shakily as his glowing eyes looked around his surroundings. He seemed confused; why had he been placed here of all places? He then tapped a hand to the comm units on the side of his head, a small screen forming in front of him with information dotted across it.

 _ **/Scout Model Q-429**_

 _ **/Codename "Quote"**_

' _Quote?_ ' The figure thought to himself. ' _Right... right, that's my name. I-I remember._ '

 _ **/Original Manufacturer DATA STORED FOR DECORRUPTING**_

 _ **/Last Signal before Sudden Shutdown: December 3rd, 2042**_

' _That long ago?_ ' Quote asked himself again, before continuing to shuffle through the rest of the information his screen until a small ping came and a new notification came up

 _ **/ WARNING! HIGH LEVELS OF ARCANE ENERGY NEAR AREA! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!**_

"Well at least that's good to know..." Quote muttered to himself before shutting off the screen, taking a look around. Seeing the small LCD monitor with the heart on it piqued his curiosity, and he soon walked over to it, minding the gap between the platform and the small edge. He looked at the monitor quizzically, before placing one of his hands to the device. As soon as he touched it, a red glow came off from his hand and from his eyes, catching him off guard but his curiosity was still holding firm when the glow then died down. A message then seemed to be sent to him:

 ** _/VITALITY REFILLED_**

With that out of the way, the boy figure then noticed out of the corner of his eye a hat lying on the ground on the platform he had woken up on. Moving back over there, he had soon picked it up and dusted off the front metal plate on it. A scrawled text was on the front, not one he could make at the moment so for the time being her had put it on, covering his brownish-black hair. Now turning his attention to the pathway leading up towards the upper area, he saw that the gap between the path and the platform was a bit larger than the one to the heart monitor. Quote backed up, took a deep breath, then ran forwards and used the servos in his legs to jump as best he could.

He ended up conking his head on the ceiling and face planting onto the ground on the other side. Ow.

The boy gripped his head in pain, slowly getting to his feet as he made a mental note to be more careful with his jumps. After a few seconds of recovering, he got up and continued up the pathway, reaching what appeared to be a worn metal door. Quote pressed his shoulder against the door and gave it a sharp push; the old door creaking open as the boy stepped into the new surroundings; more cave.

Unsurprised, Quote closed the door behind him as he scanned the new surroundings. Off to his right he could see what would appear to be some kind of wall with odd shapes adorning it. Walking over to the wall, Quote lightly rapped his fingers on the surface. A echoey sound came from the other side of the wall, confirming his suspicions; it was hollow. Drawing a fist he took a punch back, only for the wall to not give and cause his arm to sear with pain. He made a mental note to not try to physically break through these types of walls unless he had some sort of armament. Turning around and heading off the other way, he was rather surprised to find that the cave was sloping deeper into the ground. Though he was almost in for a nasty surprise when he nearly landed on a set of spikes near a drop he didn't see, red in color. He breathed in relief before continuing further down.

Coming to a where there would be a steep drop-off, he would be surprised to see what was wooden scaffolding and lanterns along the area, leading to a lower cavern path. Stepping easily onto the stairs to make sure it would hold his weight, which he wasn't 100% sure of, he slowly but surely made his way down the stairs before noticing what appeared to be an alcove to the side of the stairs, holding a small container with a glowing red heart in it. Quote picked up the capsule before a digital prompt came up in front of his eyes.

 _ **/Life Tank detected in possession. Add to current Vitality? Y/N**_

Quote was confused at first, but then realized it must have been a self security measure. Tapping the 'Y', a large slot arm opened up on his arm as a new prompt appeared in front of him.

 ** _/Insert Tank into slot on forearm._**

The boy did as instructed, slotting the small tank into his arm. It fit like a glove as soon a soft cool red glow coursed all over his body, a new prompt coming up in front of him.

 _ **/Vitality upgrade complete.**_

Quote didn't exactly know how to feel as he continued his descent into the cave, soon coming across what appeared to be small ponds of clear water in ruined structures, which he was able to tell due to the lanterns. Backing up and taking another jump, he thankfully didn't hit his head on the ceiling this time as he landed on the other side of the small liquid body. At this point he was merely following the lamps until he seemed to come to a larger space opening, a small wooden walkway across the water as a giant stone head of some sort of beast rested in the water a bit aways from the wooden platform. The boy felt unnerved from the presence of the large statue, so he made his way across the platform to what appeared to be an opening. A sign hung over the entrance, the text faded and hard to make out.

Quote took a step inside of the new area and looked around. It appeared to be a normal sized room, held up a bit by wooden bracing. A lantern hung in the center of the room, showing what appeared to be a table and a couple chairs, a workbench off against the far wall with something laying on it. Asleep at the table appeared to be an old dark skinned man with white hair, snoring quite loudly and not looking like he'd be woken up easily.

The boy decided it would be best not to disturb the old man as he soon had his attention drawn to the workbench on the far side of the wall. Walking quietly to make sure he didn't accidentally wake up the man, he moved over to the workbench and checked to see what was on the workbench. It was a gun; a cobalt gun with a small white star near the front of the barrel and darker metallic grooves along the gun itself. He would notice the cylinder on the gun itself, but it didn't seem like the gun would take bullets. A scanner would activate as his eyes glossed over the gun.

 _ **/PS-204 POLAR STAR**_

 _ **/Pistol Class Weapon**_

 _ **/Model No. 00001**_

 _ **/No Registration Found**_

 _ **/Case Color Cobalt**_

 _ **/No Warranty Applied**_

Seemed like a standard pistol to him. He continued the scan.

 _ **/Energy Bullet Module**_

/Fires energy bullets to reduce the need for regular lead bullets

 ** _/Energy Bullets capable of piercing Brimstone rock_**

That last point piqued his interest. That rock up near the room where he woke up could very well be the Brimstone rock, and would be no problem for this gun to break. Looking to the asleep gunsmith one last time, he made a mental note to himself to return the gun here once he finished with his exploration. He left in silence and returned back up to the strange marked wall near the top of the cave.

"Alright..." Quote breathed, gripping the pistol with both his hands and taking aim at the wall. Taking a sharp inhale to his breath, he clamped his eyes shut and pulled the trigger. A thick white blast shot forward and smashed into the wall, cracking it severely and causing it to crumble, but the gun also recoiled a bit as Quote stumbled backwards. It's clearly been a while since he had last wielded a weapon. Breathing a sigh of relief, he holstered the gun as he mover onwards to find the cave didn't go much further than where he shot the wall open. Stepping forward a bit, he could make out that there was another doorway exit at the far end of the room, but the door had since rusted and fallen off its hinges, leaving the passageway open. Quote moved through the door into the next room.

The next room was rather dark, and quite different from the rest of the cave. It appeared to be more of an old abandoned storage shack, filled with old crates and bags and the like. The only source of light seemed to be filtering from a section cracked in the floorboards at the far end of the room. Quote could hear something sounding like a struggle going on below, he put his head next to the ground and listened in, curious as to what it was...

* * *

"Toroko, just give me the key!" King growled, trying to wrench the object out of the smaller Mimiga's hands.

"N-no, King, I-I can't!" Toroko cried, holding firm to the key.

"Why do you continue to trust Sue?!" King growled, his hand slipping and falling backwards, as did Toroko. "Can't you see nothing good has come to the village ever since her outsider nature came to here a week ago?! And the fact those goons of the Doctor are constantly kidnapping the rest of the village until they find her?!"

"Sue's a good person at heart, I can feel it!" Toroko countered, clutching the key tightly to her chest. "I can't betray her like this!"

"Toroko..." King sighed. "What if the Doctor's henchmen come again? They might take you if we don't hand over Sue!"

"B-but..."

"Just hand over the key!"

* * *

Quote grew interest from the argument. Someone called the Doctor was kidnapping people? The one Mimiga was wanting to turn in Sue so they would be left alone? What was going on?

He was about to stand up, but then the floor started to crack...

"...oh no."

The next thing he knew, the floor gave out from under him.

* * *

King's ears perked up when he heard the breaking wood. "What was that?"

"E-eh?" Toroko said. But soon both Mimigas would be shocked as a figure crashed down right inbetween them along with several planks of wood. King recoiled in shock and fell over as Toroko fled in panic to a different part of the village...

"Nnnnnnngghh..." The figure moaned, sitting up and holding his head in pain... until he felt something sharp pressed to his forehead. He opened his eyes to soon find that King had placed the tip of his sword to his forehead.

"Who the hell are you and where did you come from?" King growled. "And if you're one of the Doctor's henchmen you're not getting off scott-free."

Quote swallowed hard, shaking his head. "N-no sir, there's a misunderstanding. I-I don't know who you're meaning by this Doctor!"

King narrowed his eyes. "Then where did you come from?" He growled.

Quote merely pointed up, indicating to the hole in the shack's floor that was high above them.

"Oh yeaaaah, forgot about that thing..." King muttered to himself as he sheathed his sword. "Well, sorry for the hostile greeting. Can't necessarily trust new faces in here ever since that Sue girl came here a week ago."

"I-it's fine..." Quote said, getting up. "I'm Quote."

"Name's King." The Mimiga responded. "I'm the number-one of this village... not that it means anything at this point."

"Why's that?" Quote asked, confused.

"There's only six of us left in the village." King responded. "Well... seven, counting Sue, but she's an outsider. One that I don't necessarily trust."

"I see..." The boy responded. "Sorry for the unexpected drop-in."

"Eh, it's fine." King spoke. "Feel free to look around, but I got my eye on you..." He said, before turning and starting to leave the square before he stopped. "One more thing, if you see a Mimiga wearing a green vest, let me know, alright?"

Quote didn't even get a chance to answer as the Mimiga walked off into the other parts of the village. He sighed, getting to his feet as he began to look around the village, before noticing what appeared to be a rather large Mimiga, wearing a green sweater and munching on... something. Quote couldn't really tell what it was and last thing he wanted to do was try to scan it and freak the Mimiga out, so for now he just played it casually.

"Hello there, fellow living being!"

Well... about as casually as a robot with next to no social skills could play it.

The Mimiga looked at him funny, raising an eyebrow, but just decided to roll with it. "Uh, hi?" He spoke. "Caaaan I help you?"

"I'm looking for a small Mimiga, about yey high?" Quote put his hand at the appropriate height. "Female? Wearing a green vest?"

"Ah, Toroko!" The Mimiga responded. "Haven't seen her recently, but ya could try the Reservoir! She usually likes going there to see what Kanpachi likes to fish up."

"Alright. Thank you Mister..." Quote trailed off since he didn't know the Mimiga's name.

"Mahin." The Mimiga responded. "Just call me Mahin." He then proceeded to take another bite out of his food as Quote would walk past to head for the Reservoir.

After a short trip through a passage over a river, Quote soon found himself at the edge of large body of water, expanding rather far in the area. A few waterfalls were pouring from above as light seemed to filter in from an unknown source above. A dock itself in the reservoir seemed to hang from chains attached to the ceiling. While he didn't inherently trust the chains, Quote lept to the first dock and felt the wooden platform rock a bit. He stabilized himself before jumping to the next dock, though that seemed to upset someone.

"Dagnabbit, and I was sure I had that Chinfish this time!" Kanpachi complained before looking back to see Quote.

"Sorry..." The boy said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm looking for a Mimiga girl? Green vest?"

"Ah, Toroko." The Mimiga responded. "Ya just missed her. She dropped off something in the water here and headed back for the village."

Quote was curious, so he peered over the dock a bit to look in. Indeed, there was something glimmering in at the bottom of the water.

"Here, lemme try to fish it up for ya." Kanpachi said, soon casting his line again where the glimmering spot was. Soon enough he reeled it in slowly and pulled out the object; a silver fish-shaped locket.

"Eh?" Kanpachi said. "That's a bit odd to throw in here... ah well, take it." He said, Quote taking the locket after that. He looked it over a bit before heading for the exit back to the village... before catching sight of Toroko coming up the hill.

"E-eep!" She squeaked, turning tail and running away from Quote. The boy would soon follow after her before being confronted with a scene just outside the exit.

"The key Toroko, now!" King growled.

"N-no, never!" She squealed, soon runing and knocking King off his feet as she fled back into the village. At this point Quote wondered how King, number-one of the village was being overcome by a little girl, before storing those thoughts for later and going over to King.

"You alright?" He asked, helping the number-one Mimiga to his feet.

"Sorta..." King said. "She must be spooked a bit on the sight of seeing you. Try to get her comfortable first."

Quote would nod, trying to discern where Toroko had fled off to, before King made another comment.

"She might have hid in the Storage shack..." He mumbled to himself. "She's been known to hide in there before..."

Quote didn't waste another second as he went for the large building near the base of the tree...

* * *

Upon opening the door to the building, Quote would find the room to be rather spacious and not a lot of stored goods inside, mainly a hanging crossbeam from the ceiling as it extended towards the walls. Scraps of paper were strewn about the floor as Quote closed the door behind him, the only light now coming from his eyes and the one lantern on the wall. The boy slowly walked forward, unholstering his pistol and keeping it ready to fire in case something tried to jump him...

"Y-you jerk!"

The next thing Quote knew his head had been whacked by a stick as he fell forwards, hitting the floor hard as he flipped over, seeing Toroko holding a stick close to her as she ran at him again... before slipping on one of the loose pieces of paper on the floor and hitting it hard, dropping the stick and cowering in fear.

"P-please don't take me away..." She whimpered.

Quote silently approached the Mimiga and set his Polar Star on the ground before sitting down on the ground next to her, and lightly rubbed her head to attempt to calm her down. The Mimiga would slowly stop cowering as Quote continued to rub. He doesn't exactly remember why he would know how to do this, but to him, it felt appropriate to try and calm the panicked Mimiga down. Soon enough she was calmed down enough to speak.

"I-I'm sorry..." She spoke. "I-I thought you were with the Doctor..."

Quote merely shook his head. "No need to worry. I have no affiliation with this Doctor figure." He spoke, before taking out the pendant. "I found this in the Reservoir. Is this yours?"

"Oh!" Toroko said, looking at the pendant. "Sue gave me that pendant..." Her mood would fall again. "But King gets bent outta shape when he sees me and Sue getting along..."

"Why?" Quote inquired, curious.

"He's thinking Sue's the cause of why the Doctor's men are coming to the village to take all of us..." Toroko said, looking up at Quote. "Please, keep it."

At that moment a dull thudding would come from the door, drawing the attention of the two. After a few thuds, a voice would speak.

"Yeeesh! How hard can it be to get into a shed like this?!" One voice said, and another voice sighed.

"Would it just be easier if I just warped us into the shack Balrog?" The female voice said, causing Toroko to freeze up.

"O-oh no..." She whimpered. "Th-that's them! The Doctor's crew!"

Quote almost immediately got to his feet, picking up the Polar Star and gripping it tightly as he aimed at the door. "Get behind me." He spoke. Toroko complied without a second thought and hid behind the boy's leg as another thump came from the shack's entrance. He felt his grip tighten and his eyes narrow as he kept his sights trained on the door...

"For god's sake Balrog!" The female voice growled. "Just let me warp us in there!"

"I got this!" Balrog said. "Lemme try one more thing..."

"And what is that?" The female voice said.

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!" Balrog yelled before the front door exploded towards them, smoke billowing into the room as Quote was thrown off his focus, shielding his eyes as Toroko was coughing harshly. When the smog cleared, Quote would soon see the box-thing and the witch in full form, now that there wasn't a door separating them.

"Found you!" Balrog said. "A Mimiga like you can't escape me! I've got the nose of a bloodhound!"

"The brain of one too..." Misery muttered under her breath. "Either way Sue, there's no running this time."

"Wait, what?" Toroko said. "B-but I'm not-"

"Hush." Misery said, casting a bubble towards Toroko. Quote gripped the Polar Star tightly and shot at the bubble, but it only seemed to absorb the shots as it soon wrapped around Toroko.

"L-l-lemme go!" She squealed.

"Balrog, cleanup duty. Now." Misery said as she warped out of the shack with Toroko.

"Not AGAIN!" Balrog groaned. "I found her first too!" He then noticed Quote glaring at him. "What's your problem? You wanna fight me with that little toy?"

Quote's hands tightened and vision narrowed as he fired off a round right inbetween Balrog's eyes, singing the spot.

"I'll take that as a yes then!" Balrog responded, soon charging at the boy. He barely had any time to respond as he dodge-rolled out of the way, soon firing another three round burst into Balrog's back. From there his body seemed to be on autopilot, as if he knew how to gun combat before even though he had woken up not that long ago.

Balrog went for another charge, going to tackle Quote again, only for the boy to vault the box-thing and unload another three shots into his back. He seemed to only be charging, so Quote readied another burst fire as Balrog drew near for another run towards him, but the box threw him for a loot as he then lept up and folded his limbs in, dropping straight onto Quote. The boy had his lower half caught under the crushing attack, so he pointed the Polar Star right at Balrog's face and unloaded an entire cylinder of shots into the space inbetween his eyes. That seemed to set him off, as he lept off Quote and stomped angrily.

"NOW you made me mad!" Balrog yelled, charging for Quote again. The boy held tight to the pistol as he unloaded another cylinder of energy bullets into Balrog's back as he rolled out of the way. Balrog then lept to the far side of the room, inhaling deeply and starting to swell up like a balloon. Quote kept on his guard as he kept unloading cylinder after cylinder of energy bullets at Balrog, but then a warning came up on his vision.

 _ **/WARNING! HIGH ARCANE ENERGY READINGS DETECTED! AVOID DAMAGE AT ALL COSTS!**_

Quote tensed up as Balrog soon fired off a massive energy beam straight for the boy. Quote lept up and grabbed onto the overhanging beam and held onto it until Balrog stopped the beam, where he was heavily panting. Quote took this opportunity to unload another cylinder into Balrog's face before the box-thing itself burst into smoke, a frazzled look on it's face before it lept up through the ceiling of the shack. "You won't get off so easily about this!" He yelled as he disappeared.

Quote sighed in relief... but then tensed up as he heard cracking coming from around the building. Seems like that fight with Balrog did a bit more damage than he expected; the entire shack was starting to collapse in on itself. The boy quickly dived for the exit as the entire ceiling of the building came down behind him, the shack being reduced to merely rubble and splinters. Quote was panting hard as King, Jack and Mahin came running to the site.

"What in the world?!" King said, looking at the collapsed shack.

"Now what in san hill happened here?!" Jack said, before seeing Quote. "And who are you?"

"He was looking for Toroko earlier." Mahin spoke. "Didja find her?"

"A-about that..." Quote spoke. "I did find her... but..."

"But. What." King growled, staring down Quote.

"Something came. What looked like a giant bar of soap and a mage girl." Quote answered. "The mage girl took Toroko and then the soap thing fought me, an-"

"No more words." King spoke. "So my fears were true; they took Toroko."

"King, what do we do?" Jack asked. "With Toroko taken, who knows who's going to get nabbed next!"

"..." King was silent. "We should find Sue. Maybe if we offer her in exchange for Toroko, the Doctor will finally leave us alone."

"But King..." Mahin started before King interrupted him.

"We should make plans first. Get the rest of the Mimigas to the Assembly Hall, what few still live here." King spoke, elicting a nod in response from the other two Mimigas. Quote was about to walk off before King stopped him.

"Listen, kid, I..." He sighed. "I at least appreciate your attempt at trying to defend Toroko. You're welcome to stay here, but please... try not to destroy anything else." King finished his sentence as he walked off towards the Assembly Hall.

Quote stood there for a bit, staring off in the direction King walked, until he noticed something out of the corner of his eye; a small gleam in the pile of rubble. Upon walking over to investigate it, he soon found out it was a key. His mind then recollected back to the argument earlier between King and Toroko; King had mentioned something about a key. Glancing over to the other large building at the base of the tree, he walked over and tested the door; it was locked.

"Let's see..." He muttered to himself as he inserted the key into the lock and twisted it, the sound of a clinking inside the door told him all that he needed to know. Twisting the knob, he opened the door and stepped into the house. It was well kept, a desk with a computer right next to a teleporter along with a billboard containing countless scrawls of other incoherent jumble, and a staircase at the far back leading both up and down. Curious, Quote took the stairs down to find a small pool of water and a boiler at the far end of the room. He would walk over to inspect the boiler, only for his foot to crunch on something; he lifted his shoe to see what appeared to be... red petals? Why would they be down here of all places? The boy was mildly baffled as he brushed them off his shoe, soon taking note of another Life Tank on the shelf of the wall. Grabbing it, the on-screen prompt came again;

 ** _/Life Tank detected in possession. Add to current Vitality? Y/N_**

 ** _/Y_**

 ** _/Insert Tank into slot on forearm._**

 ** _..._**

 _ **/Vitality upgrade complete.**_

With that sorted out, Quote made his way back upstairs to the computer, soon checking it. There appeared to be an IM Chat open, which Quote decided to gloss over.

 **KAZUMA: Sue?  
** **KAZUMA: C'mon Sue...  
KAZUMA: SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUE!  
KAZUMA: ...  
KAZUMA: sue plz**

Quote was... feeling odd about reading the messages, but his curiosity kept him reading.

 **KAZUMA: Ive barely managed to evade detection from the doctor, where are you?  
** **KAZUMA: please...**

Seemed like the person was in trouble. Quote checked the other program on the computer, which appeared to be a coordinate locator with an IP of another teleporter linked in; 'Egg Corridor'. Seeing as he had no other leads to go to, he decided to establish the link with the coordinates and fire up the teleporter. A low hum came from it before he got up, stepping onto the teleporter as he was whisked away...

* * *

Feeling a bit disoriented from the teleport, Quote stepped off the teleported before blinking his eyes a bit, getting a better look at his surroundings. He'd find himself standing on what appeared to be solid ground in a bronzish-yellow corridor. The green rocky wall on either side of the corridor would be mostly covered up by technological glubbins and vents, some flashing odd colors. The most interesting point he would notice is the larger rectangular containers lining down the corridor at regular intervals, the first one being numbered at '16', and Quote would conclude that the numbers would go down the further he went down the corridor.

"You're a new face here!" A synthetic voice said from behind him. Quote turned around and was met with a cobalt colored robot. "What brings you here?"

"Uhh..." Quote stalled a bit. "I-I'm looking for a Mimiga?"

"Oh! One just came through here not too long ago." The robot responded. "She's probably gone further into the corridor."

"Thanks, I guess." Quote said, turning to leave before the robot stopped him.

"Hey, hold up before you head out!" The robot responded. "Be careful of some gaps in the floor here! We've got a whole team of Basils runnin' under the entire thing to power the place! One touch of those things and you'll be short-circuited into next week!"

"Thanks for the heads up." Quote responded, before leaping down to a lower ledge, a large amount of clear paneling overlooking the base floor of the corridor. True to the cobalt robot's word, there was a whole row of odd-looking electric creatures zipping back and forth across the base floor, lighting up the floor section as they whizzed by. Feeling unnerved and not wanting to get zapped, Quote kept moving down the corridor, passing a couple of egg containers, and was dumbstruck by the size of the eggs themselves. He was curious as to what was exactly in these eggs, his mind wandering... before a reading came up in front of him.

 _ **/WARNING. ARCANE ENERGY READINGS DETECTED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.**_

Quote quickly unholstered the Polar Star, gripping tightly to the gun as he proceeded with caution down the corridor, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow...

...then heard the sound of flitting leathery wings as he spun around and quickly unloaded a cylinder in the direction of the noise. Turns out it was a massive flying jade beetle, accompanied by two smaller ones as they seemed to approach the boy, the singes in the massive one's exoskeleton evident. The bettle growled before firing two green pulsating shots right at Quote. The boy dodge-rolled to the side before blasting two more rounds at the massive beetle, causing it to growl before the two smaller beetles dive-bombed at the boy. Quote took aim, tensing up and firing at the beetles, the energy shots essentially disintegrating the beetles entirely. The large one roared before charging Quote directly, pinning him to the ground and knocking the Polar Star out of his hand. Its mandibles would mash as it tried to snap Quote's face off, the boy trying to hold his face away from the mandibles, desperately trying to grab for the Polar Star... and just barely managed to grab the gun as he shoved it into the massive insects mandibles, blasting the trigger and blowing the massive insect's head clean open as the entire body went limp.

Quote struggled as he hoisted the dead exoskeleton off him, the massive body unmoving as he got up, wiping the green gunk from the exploded head off of him. "Eugh... that's disgusting..."

"You think you can take me on?!" A female voice said that caused Quote to jump. Curiosity took over him as he advanced down the corridor, ducking behind a stack of crates as he peered around the edge of the stack, seeing a Mimiga in a blue sweater and weaking a brown backpack yelling at... something that could only be described as a swollen Mimiga with blood-red eyes and clothes with a tie that looked about two sizes too small for him.

"Bring it you lard bucket!" The small Mimiga yelled. "Not even my brother Kazuma is able to beat me in a fight!"

"..." The massive hulking Mimiga would say nothing before lumbering forward and slugging the smaller Mimiga in the face.

"Aaack! Okay, uncle!"

Another hard slug. Quote would flinch from the punching, even though he wasn't on the receiving end of it.

"I SAID UNCLE!"

A final punch, sending the Mimiga sprawling backwards towards Quote on her back, her eyes dizzy. She would then look up at the robot.

"Huh...?" She asked, dazed. "Who... are you?" She didn't get a chance to hear Quote's answer as she sqeuaked in shock; the giant Mimiga had grabbed her and was holding her up with one arm as the other one slugged her in the face, knocking her unconscious. The giant Mimiga then slunk away, dragging the smaller one behind it as Quote came out from behind where he was hiding.

"That might be Sue..." Quote muttered to himself as he kept his Polar Star unholstered as he gave pursuit to the larger Mimiga, but would soon find it went out of sight. The boy silently cursed to himself as he holstered the pistol, moving further down the corridor. Moving past about 4 more eggs, he'd come to a upright-looking building inbetween two of the Egg Chambers. He gave it a loon, and was about to turn away when a reading came up on his scanner.

 ** _/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY._**

"Of course." Quote silently cursed to himself before going into the odd building. The inside smelled damp and musty, it actually almost walled Quote from the thickness of the musk alone. The boy coughed a bit before he looked around inside, scanning the area. It appeared to be a mostly vertical climb, most platforms unnaturally jutting out of the wall as at the top a Life Capsule was seen on a small platform. Quote sighed, getting ready to make the climb... when he felt a scaly hand touch his shoulder. Quote literally froze in place, disturbed by the touch before whipping around and aiming the Polar Star at the figure who touched him. A green cloaked figure would come out of the shadows, staring at him through its blank white eyes.

"...this is quite the interesting development." The hooded figure said, tilting his head a bit. "You're a soldier from the surface, aren't you?"

'Huh?' Quote thought to himself, tensing up as he kept his gun steadily trained on the figure. "Who are you?"

"MY now, young one, there is no need for hostility." The figure spoke, merely holding his hands out to the side. "I am merely known as Cthulhu."

Quote's figure loosened up a bit, but he still kept the Polar Star in his grip. "Why are you here?"

"This is merely one of my humble abodes." Cthulhu responded. "However, I should ask you the same. What are you doing here? And where is your blonde pal?"

"Blonde pal?" Quote questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"...amnesia, how peculiar." Cthulhu spoke, soon showing a toothy grin. "All will be revealed in due time, young one..." And with that he backed into the shadows and out of sight. Quote went after the being... only to find that there was no one there. Not even any sort of fake walls or trap doors; it's like the enigmatic creature was never there to begin with...

The boy felt uneasy as he soon scaled the interior of the building, grabbing the Live Capsule at the top before heading back down and out of the building.

Continuing down the corridor, Quote would notice the bottom of the Egg No. 06 chamber having a hole open in it. That... didn't seem right to him, as most other of the Egg chambers he passed were completely sealed off. As curiosity took over him, he went over to the Egg chamber and climbed into inside of it. It felt rather humid inside the entire case, which would cause him to sweat... if he actually did. He seemed to be fine as he shrugged, soon moving around the massive egg before seeing a corridor leading off to the side. Following it, he soon came to a small room with a desk and a small computer, and what appeared to be a small card laying on the desk. He picked it up, seeing it was some sort of ID passcard with a Mimiga's face on it; the same Mimiga that took away that smaller Mimiga. Quote noted this as he pocketed the card, figuring it may come in handy later as he exited the Egg chamber and headed back into the corridor.

His entrance back into the corridor is immediately followed up by an attack from another set of attack beetles going after him, opening fire of the green energy shots. Quote silently cursed to himself as he dodge-rolled out of the way, gripping tightly to the gun in his hands as he unloaded cylinders of white-hot energy shots onto the beetles, which only seemed to agitate them more this time as they both rushed for the boy. Quote rolled out of the way again as he holstered the Polar Star and continued running down the corridor away from the beetles, soon seeing another building, much larger in scale from its entrance. With the two hulking beetles hot on his tail, he dove through the front entrance of the building as the doors sealed behind him, the sounds of thumbing and insectual screeching heard from the other side. Quote sighed in relief before getting up, dusting himself off and looking around.

This building seemed to be larger in scope compared to the last one, housing what appeared to be a small bed and a rather large computer terminal, with a large monitor and several data banks whirring away at processes elsewhere in the corridor. Curiously, Quote approached the large computer terminal and flipped it on, seeing the massive screen whir to life before text came up on it.

 ** _/Please insert Identification Card._**

Quote would grab the identification card out of his pocket and insert it into the larger computer terminal, causing it to open up a profile and showing an entire schematic layout of security cameras, egg monitors, lifeform scans, and so much more. One thing caught Quote's attention out of the corner of his eye, however; one security cam was pointing towards an active barrier at the end of the corridor. An option would be visible to disable the barrier, and Quote hit the button to confirm, shutting down the barrier as access to two more buildings at the end of the corridor opened. Seems like Quote would be heading to the end of the corridor after all. His ears wouldn't be hearing the scratching from the large beetles anymore, meaning he inferred they were probably gone from loss of interest. Gripping his Polar Star tightly, he lightly pushed open the door and glanced outside, the beetles nowhere near the building.

Taking a quick breath, he soon bolted out of the building as he ran for the area with the barrier, soon diving past it right as it seemed to have come back up right behind him. Getting up from where he dived, he had soon heard growling as lumbering footsteps grew near. He got to his feet as he gripped his gun tightly, glaring at the lumbering figure coming at him; the giant Mimiga from before.

"NNNGGGGHHHH..." The Mimiga moaned. "PROFESSOR'S EGGS. VERY IMPORTANT! NO ONE TOUCHES THEM!"

"I'm not here for the eggs." Quote grunted. "I'm here for the Mimiga girl. Now-"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" The Mimiga belted. "SHE TOUCHED EGG! PROFESSOR WILL BE UNHAPPY!"

"...I'm wasting my time here." Quote spoke, his personality almost shifting instantaneously as he took aim with the Polar Star. "The girl. Now."

The Mimiga roared before charging the boy. Quote tensed up as he dodge-rolled out of the way, aiming at the enlargened Mimiga's back as he unloaded three shots into it, but that didn't seem to do more than to just singe the fur and the shirt of the beast. The creature roared before leaping and slamming his larger fist paws on the ground, soon causing larger blocks to fall from the ceiling and crash into the ground. Quote tensed as he dodged out of the way of the larger blocks, soon ducking behind one of them as the larger Mimiga lumber towards his general direction.

"SMALL METAL BOY CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!" The Mimiga growled. "ME FIND YOU, AND ME BREAK YOU!"

Quote would think to himself as he thought out a possible battle strategy of dealing with this gigantic foe. Outside penetration was clearly not a viable option; its skin seemed to be too durable to penetrate with the Polar Star's energy bullets. If there was only some sort of opening... and Quote got a thought. What if...?

He took a chance, diving out from behind his cover and firing off another cylinder into the larger Mimiga's face. It roared in anger, soon opening its mouth to charge up what appeared to be some sort of energy blast. Quote took this chance and open fired on the open mouth, the white hot energy shots going straight down the massive Mimiga's throat, causing it to rear in pain before it fired off a volley of white energy shots at the boy. Quote dodged out of the way, but felt one of the shots collide with his left arm, causing a system warning come up in front of him.

 _ **/WARNING. ARM HAS BEEN DAMAGED 74.92%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEM STARTING...**_

Quote silently cursed to himself, not being able to feel anything in his arm as he watched the massive hulking Mimiga charging up for another mouth blast. He took aim and opened fire, but the lack of stability from the other hand holding on the gun's handle increased its recoil, causing the gun to kick back with every shot he took, making accuracy a lot harder for him. Only two shots managed to shoot down the throat of the giant Mimiga before the next energy burst spewed forth from it towards Quote. The boy dodged the barrage of shots as he hid behind the fallen block.

"Would really like an update on that arm..." Quote gritted his teeth as the screen came up.

 _ **/AUTO-REPAIRS TO ARM AT 13.76%.**_

Quote cursed to himself again as soon the gigantic Mimiga had now pounced onto him, pinning him under its massive body.

"METAL BOY WILL GO SQUISH NOW!" The large Mimiga growled loudly, soon charging up another mouth blast at point-blank at Quote's body. The boy tried to squirm one of his hands free as he could still feel the Polar Star in his hand. He desperately tried to wrench his good arm with the gun out from under the hulking Mimiga, the energy shot in its mouth growing larger...

With a last wrench Quote wedged his arm free and fired the Polar Star directly into the giant Mimiga's face, causing the Mimiga's head to rear up, staring straight up at the ceiling before the beast collapsed backwards off of Quote, unmoving as what appeared to be a few red petals spewed out of its mouth as it hit the floor. Quote would sigh as he got up, tring to brush himself off with his good arm... when he'd notice the Mimiga shrinking back down to a normal Mimiga size. Quote checked it's pulse... and it was unmoving. The Mimiga was dead.

Quote had a small silence of sympathy for the small figure before noticing the red petals that came out of the Mimiga's mouth. Picking it up, he saw that it was like the same petals from Arthur's house, which concerned him. He then decided to make a quick scan of the plant...

 ** _/ERROR. DATA FILE CORRUPTED, ONLY 27% DECORRUPTED. ATTEMPT TO READ ANYWAYS?_**

Quote decided against checking the data file as he dropped the petal, soon moving on to the larger building within the nearby area that the larger Mimiga was in front of. Inside the building was a larger egg, much moreso than the previous ones he had seen, with the text _**No. 00**_ printed on the side of it. The egg itself was strung up and being suspended a few feet above the ground as what looked like large metal doors were near the egg itself. Near where Quote was was a small desk holding a computer and a lamp, and in front of the desk... was the Mimiga girl from earlier was lying face-down, red patches adorning her fur, seemingly brutalized a bit before being thrown here.

Quote's concerns would immediately focus on the girl as he rushed to her side, lightly feeling the girl's neck; a pulse, she was alive.

"Hey..." Quote said, lightly moving the Mimiga. "Are you alright?"

"Oooooohh..." The Mimiga moaned, slowly moving before she leaped up, rearing with energy. "D-Don't think I lost yet! C'mere and lemme smash... huh?" She would then be looking around confusedly, before seeing Quote behind her, and was just more confused. "Did... did you save me?"

"Well... more like 'found' but..." Quote started, before the Mimiga interrupted.

"Look, I can take care of myself." The Mimiga huffed dusting herself off.

"Like how you took care of that giant Mimiga back there?" Quote dryly commented.

"...shut up." The Mimiga answered, before looking onwards at the Egg. "Oh! This must be the Egg!" She would then rush over to the computer to check the status of it. "Egg Status... Incubation complete! Ready to hatch! Yes!" She would hit the enter key, but then a new window would pop up. "Huh? Password to hatch? What kind of..."

"Is... every-"

"Shoot." The Mimiga spoke. "If I wanna hatch this Egg, I need a password..." She'd sigh. "If only my brother Kazuma were here, he'd know how to get past this thing..."

That name would ring a bell in Quote's head. "Kazuma?" He asked, causing the Mimiga to look at him.

"You know him?" She asked, before fear would come onto her face. "W-Wait! You're not one of the Doctor's men are you?!"

"What? Nononono!" Quote said shaking his good arm. "I'm not associated with him! Honest!"

The Mimiga would fall silent, looking over the boy. "You don't look associated with him... but... how do you know my brother's name?"

"Well..." Quote said. "The teleoprter I took here was linked up to a computer that had an IRC network on it with a username of Kazuma on there, so-"

"Wait, h-he's alive?!" The Mimiga said, before trying to calm herself down. "S-sorry. This has been a stressful week during the time I've been here. I better head back and check those messages though..." She would walk past Quote, before looking over to the bot.

"You know..." The Mimiga said. "The more I look at you, the more I think you're not from this island. The letters on your cap seem familiar from where I live..."

Quote would look confused, looking at the Mimiga. "One more thing."

"Yeah?" The Mimiga responded.

"You're Sue, right?" Quote asked. "I'm Quote."

"Well..." Sue smiled. "Nice to meet you Quote. I'll meet you back at Arthur's house." She spoke, before leaving the room...

* * *

It wasn't long before the teleporter fired back up at Arthur's house, Sue materializing back at the house before hopping off and hopping onto the chair near the computer, clicking on the IM Chat and starting to type into the chat.

 **SUE: Kazuma! Are you there?!**

 **KAZUMA: Sue! Oh thank god you're alive! Where are you?**

 **SUE: I'm stuck at the Mimiga village here on the island, but I have access to a teleporter where I found that Sky Dragon hatchery! We might have a method of escape!** **  
**

 **KAZUMA: At least that's good. Is it already good to hatch?**

 **SUE: That's the problem. It's locked up with a password, and I need you to hack past it.**

 **KAZUMA: I could if I would, but I do have some good news on my end. The Doctor hasn't found those red flowers yet, so we may have a chance to get away on said dragons and call in a military strike on the island to stop him!**

 **SUE: What about Mom though? Haven't you seen her at all?**

 **KAZUMA: No. I fear she may already be caught by the Doctor.**

 **SUE: ...**

 **KAZUMA: Don't quote me on that though; she could still be alive.**

 **SUE: Okay, moving on, where did you run to?**

 **KAZUMA: The teleporter I took is linked up to a different network. It looks like I'm stuck in a locked building in a section of the island called the Bushlands, or 'Grasstown' by the locals, if there are any left. Lemme send you the coordinates to the location here...**

 **/RECEIVING COORDINATES...**

 **...**

 **/COORDINATES RECEIVED.**

 **SUE: Got 'em! Once one of my new friends come back, we'll be on our way to free ya! Just hold on bro!**

 **KAZUMA: I will. I know you can do it Sue.**

 **/SUE has left the chatroom.**

Sue's attention would turn back to the teleporter, starting to grow impatient. "I thought he would have been back by now. What's taking him so long?" He train of thought was violently derailed as the door to the house burst open, Sue falling of her chair in surprise. Soon ehough she'd feel the tip of a blade pressed to her forehead as she looked up, King staring down at her with a glare of anger in his eyes.

"Welcome back." He growled. "We've been expecting you..."

"Now what..." Sue grumbled. "I'm busy with something."

"You're not getting off lightly this time..." King growled. "Toroko's been taken by the Doctor's men in your absence!"

"Wh-what?!" Sue cried, shocked.

"Yep." Jack said, coming around to King's side. "And you're being held responsible for this."

"Why me?!" Sue yelled. "I wasn't even here when she got kidnapped!"

"Shut up and come here." King growled, seizing Sue by the arm.

"Let go of me!" Sue yelled as King dragged her away towards the village square...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 1 End**_


	3. Chapter 2: Onto Grasstown

"We're here." Misery's voice spoke as she and the trapped Toroko materialized in the throne room. "Now show some respect for the Master." She would then pop the bubble, throwing Toroko onto the ground as she scrambled to her feet, cowering.

"P-please let me go..." Toroko whimpered.

"Mi'lord, I have brought you Sue, as per requested." Misery spoke, kneeling before the white-coated man. "Do with her as you wish."

"Ah, thank you Misery." The white-coated man spoke, his back to the two. "Now then Sue, things have certainly changed since you've last seen me, so for posterior's sake a reintroduction is in order." The figure of the Doctor would then turn around. "I am Doctor Date Fuyuhiko, the new possessor of the Demon Crown, the Island, and soon, the Surface. Good afternoon."

"Eep!" Toroko squeaked before running away from the Doctor towards the exit to the throne room.

The Doctor seemed disappointed in Toroko's behavior. "How unbecoming of you." He spoke. "Misery."

"Oh ho... where do you think you're going?" Misery spoke, soon trapping Toroko in a bubble again. "Trying to run; how adorable!"

Toroko cowered in her bubbly lift, shaking hard. "P-please... please don't hurt me..." She whimpered as she stared straight at the Doctor in fear and terror.

"Hmmmm..." The Doctor said, looking over the small Mimiga, his eyes seeming to narrow as he looked over her frame. "An interesting specimen you have captured here, Misery. She seems rather pure. Now, where is Sue?"

"I-I beg your pardon mi'lord?" Misery asked, confused. "Th-this is Sue, no?"

"No." The Doctor said. "I asked you to bring me Sue. _This_ girl is not Sue. She has no blue sweater and no scar across her nose."

"B-but she was the only girl left in the village!" Misery spoke. "There's no way anyone else in there was possibl-"

"Young Mimiga, could you move aside, please?" The Doctor spoke, the eye on the Demon Crown starting to glow.

"Wh-what?" Toroko squeaked, cowering a bit.

"I prefer to avoid damaging pure resources as you when disciplining my servants." The Doctor answered, causing Misery to freeze up as her eyes shrank.

"Eep!" Toroko squeaked again as she ran off away from the two.

"M-mi'lord! Please!" Misery spoke, bowing. "Th-this was a mistake! I take full responsibility for this! Forgive me!"

"Afraid I cannot, Misery. A failure like this must be avoided in the future." The Doctor spoke, the Demon Crown's eye now glowing brightly. "Now take your lumps."

"No! P-please!" Misery begged before lightning shot forward from the Demon Crown's eye, the painful shock striking all over her body. Misery screamed in agony as she dropped to her knees, her staff clanking on the ground as tears came from her eyes. The painful lightning continued for a good several minutes before it stopped, smoke curling of Misery's body, now marred with electrical burns and frazzled hair.

Toroko was shuddering as she was watching the entire 'disciplining' unfold before she felt a light bump from behind her. She whipped around only to see the large frame of Balrog, who had just come up from behind her to see what was happening.

"Oof..." Balrog commented. "I'd hate to be Misery right now..."

"P-please don't hurt me..." Toroko whimpered. Balrog would merely plop down next to the Mimiga and lightly petted her head with one of his fin-like appendages. The petting would seem to calm down the frightened girl.

"Technically I can't." Balrog replied. "Unless the Doctor ordered me to, that is."

"N-not helping..." Toroko whimpered, as the Doctor grabbed Misery by the throat.

"Your task will remain as before." The Doctor growled, before throwing Misery onto the ground. "Find the Sakamoto girl, and bring her here. Do not fail me again, understood?"

Misery would scamper to her knees and kneeled before the Doctor, slightly trembling. "Y-yes, mi'lord." She spoke, before teleporting away.

"Good." The Doctor spoke, before noticing the Mimiga and the box-thing. "Ah, Balrog, you have perfect timing."

"What is your order Doctor?" Balrog responded.

"You've said there was a small boy interfering with trying to take this girl, no?" He spoke, his tone mildly filled with curiosity. "I want you to head for the Bushlands sector on this floating rock; see if he heads there next."

"Roger that boss!" Balrog said, about to take off.

"Oh, and before you go." The Doctor spoke, looking to Toroko. "Take our guest to the plantation. She has a lot of catching up to do."

"Okay!" Balrog said, hoisting the small Mimiga onto his back. "Hold on!" He said before bursting through the ceiling, leaving a Balrog-shaped hole in it.

"...he really needs a less destructive entrance." The Doctor spoke, before returning to his work...

* * *

Quote would soon find himself rematerialized within Arthur's house, slightly disoriented after having to avoid the gigantic death beetles around the corridor only to find... Sue was not here. Jack was however, leaning up against the wall as if he was expecting the boy's return.

"Ah, I see you've finally returned." Jack spoke, looking at Quote. "Everything okay?"

"I guess?" Quote responded. "Where's Sue?"

"Well, King came in." Jack responded, looking towards the door. "He's got Sue locked up in a cage in the village square."

"What?" The boy responded, concerned.

"Yeah, he was pretty pissed about Toroko being kidnapped." Jack answered. "He's got poor Sue locked up so he can exchange her for Toroko when the Docotr's minions come again. I do feel a bit bad for Sue though..." He looked down. "She really seemed to want to care for Toroko when Arthur died, but... Toroko's one of us. Sue's just an outsider."

Quote would push past the Mimiga before finding the female Mimiga in a cage on a pole, rested above the square on a pole as she thrashed about inside it. "Lemme out of here now! You don't understand!"

"There's nothing to explain!" King growled, pointing his sword at the cage. "Toroko was taken because of you! Now shut up!"

"There is something to explain! Now let me down!" Sue yelled back.

"No." King growled. "One way or another I'm handing you over!"

"You're crazy!" Sue yelled. "Don't you even realize she might already be done for?!"

"If she's not safe, your head is meeting my sword!" King roared, causing Sue to shrink back a bit, the concept of being killed not exactly meeting well with her mind as Quote would come up on the scene. "O-oh! The guy I met back at the Egg Corridor!"

"What's going on here?" Quote asked. "King what are you thinking?"

"We're exchanging her for Toroko." King growled. "And if you wish to keep that head on your shoulders, you won't interfere with this entire thing."

Quote would rule out simply blasting the cage open as Sue would grab his attention, causing him to walk over to the caged Mimiga.

"Hey, listen..." She asked Quote. "Could I ask a huge favor from you?"

"How big are we talking?" Quote asked.

"I told my brother Kazuma you and I would be going to where he is to break him out, but..." She motioned to the cage. "As you can clearly see I can't exactly do that at the moment. Could you go in my place and break him out of where he might be trapped?"

Quote would think for a bit, wondering if this girl could be trusted, but he had soon made up his mind and nodded. "I'll try to find him. I promise."

Sue's eyes would light up. "Quote, thank you!" She spoke, earning a nod from the boy.

"I'll be back before you know it." He said, soon heading back for Arthur's house.

'Please... just make sure my brother is safe...' Sue silently thought to herself as she remained in the cage...

Upon re-entry of Arthur's house, Quote made a beeline straight for the computer, checking the teleporter program for any new IPs that would have come up. Upon seeing the one selected for 'Bushlands', Quote hit confirm on the program, linking the teleporter with the one in the location of the island. Taking a deep breath, Polar Star gripped tightly to his hand, he stepped onto the teleporter as he felt himself warping...

* * *

Meanwhile, in a lower stone room section, only lit by a dim lantern, a Mimiga with bushy eyebrows wearing a green sweater would be investigating the teleporter in that small room, him seeming to grow agitated as he kept looking over the device.

"Consarnit..." The Mimiga mumbled to himself. "Over a week of kidnappings across Grasstown and Arthur doesn't show up? And now the teleporter doesn't work? What's goin' on over there?" His question would be abruptly answered as the teleporter fired up, throwing him off his guard and causing him to collapse on his back as soon Quote stepped off the teleporter, still as disoriented from the warp.

"Oof... I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that..." Quote mumbled to himself before seeing the Mimiga out of the corner of his eye. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"Oh nonono, not at all." The Mimiga spoke. "I just wasn't expecting anyone to teleport here, that's all."

"Sorry..." Quote spoke, rubbing the back of his head. "This the Bushlands?"

"Well, yes." The Mimiga said. "Come on out, you'll get a better view from there." Quote would follow the Mimiga out of the small stone room to above it to soon see out into the vast grassy cavern, large stone ruin structures with owl faces carved into it dotting the place sporadically. Further away would appear to be a house of some sort halfway embedded into a part of the ground. Larger vines would be hanging from the ceiling, holding larger stone structures up themselves by their own volition, and small waterfalls would be dotting the verdant cavern. Even large mushrooms would be dotting the cavern, looking like large trampolines to lead to higher portions of the cave. To Quote, it was a breath of fresh air compared to the Egg Corridor or the dingy first cave he woke up in.

"Quite the view, ain't it?" The Mimiga spoke. "Name's Santa, by the way."

"Quote." The boy spoke. "I'm looking for someone named Kazuma, do you know anyone by that name?"

"Kazuma?" Santa asked, thinking. "Hmmm, can't say I've heard of a name like that... ah, maybe one of my old friends Chaco would know."

"Chaco?" Quote asked. "Who's that?"

"She lives further down in the house dividing Grasstown." Santa spoke. "Ya can't miss her, her house is right on the path."

Quote would nod, gripping tightly to his Polar Star. "Alright, I'll be going now." He spoke, and would start to head out before Santa had stopped him.

"Hold up!" Santa spoke. "Ya can't go in there all willy-nilly with a gun like that against the Power Critters here! They'll flatten ya into a pancake if ya don't have proper protection!"

"Oh..." Quote spoke, holstering the pistol. "So... what should I do?"

"Here, take this." Santa said, handing Quote what appeared to be some sort of glove, yellow and orange in color with a blue wristguard. Curious, Quote would scan the object.

 _ **/FB-437 FIREBALL**_

 _ **/Glove Class Weapon**_

 _ **/Model No. 00352**_

 _ **/Registration to Mimiga Santa**_

 _ **/Case Color Golden-Orange**_

 _ **/Warranty for Damage**_

 _ **/Fireball weapon capable of spawning multiple fireballs at one, up to four at a single given time**_

 _ **/Fireballs travel in a bouncing motion along the ground**_

 _ **/Arc of fireballs throw changes height of bounce**_

Quote would be intrigued. This glove, a weapon? It sounded ridiculous... but then he remembered he found himself awake in a cave system with talking rabbit people and a hatchery of dragons. He safely decided to hold off on trying to apply logic for now as he slipped the glove onto his left hand, feeling the energy flow through it as soon a small fireball formed into his hand. Quote found it interesting as Santa soon spoke again.

"Interesting ain't it?" Santa spoke. "Try it out on your way to Chaco's, might be useful to ya!"

Quote would nod. "Thank you, sir."

"Anytime." The Mimiga responded, soon walking off to his house as Quote prepared to enter into the cavern's valley. With a quick hop he had soon skidded down the grassy side and ended up in the valley, the lush grass going up to past his ankles. He almost let his guard down for a second before hearing what sounded like a small growl coming from the grass, causing him to almost reach for the Polar Star, but then he remembered Santa said the pistol wouldn't work on the Critters. Instead he kept firm to the colored glove before spawning a fireball into his hand, throwing it at the grass pile where the noise came from. His suspicions were confirmed as a green blob-ish creature lept from the bushes, squealing in pain, soon having itself propelling in the air by its own white ears as it moved towards Quote. The boy would run under the blob just as it stopped hovering, coming down where Quote originally was as if it was trying to land on him. The boy would focus as soon he would throw another fireball at the Critter, soon the creature popping like a balloon from the second blast, leaving behind next to no trace of it.

Quote would still be curious, before hearing what sounded like another growl from nearby. Sneaking behind another stone structure, he'd peek around the corner to soon see a bunch of the Critters, along with a larger blue one right before a bridge. Without being noticed, he activated his scanner and analyzed the creatures.

 ** _/Name: Critter_**

 ** _/Scientific Classification: Critidae Loftus_**

 ** _/Phylum: Chordate_**

 ** _/Class: Euclid Mammalia_**

 _ **/Critters are a composite species bred by multiple DNA with genetic sciences. Mostly tend to inhabit man-made artificial biomes, but now can almost be found anywhere. Primary form of communication is by small growls, though these are also used when feeling agitated or threatened to try and intimidate their instigator, with varying degrees of success. Upon feeling threatened they will try to leap and fly over their instigator in an attempt to land on them and blind them with their hulking masses.**_

Quote nodded as the scan deactivated, electing to avoid the horde of the creatures for now as he soon climbed up the stone structures hanging from the vines. The boy would be amazed at the sights of how the entire stone scaffolding was constructed as he jumped from owl block to owl block, making his way across above the Critters before a reading came up.

 ** _/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY._**

Quote would stop on the block he was on, soon looking around the area for the familiar shaped heat cylinder. His eyes would soon dart up to see that it was tangled in a mass of vines up above. Quote would breathe in deeply as he soon vaulted up the massive hanging structure, gripping to the vines as he climbed his way up before reaching the top of the ruined section, grabbing the tank and slotting it into his arm as per normal. He proceeded to drop down from the vines on the other side of the horde of Critters, the impact of his feet on the ground from the high height causing his body to shake a bit as a new warning came up in front of him.

 _ **/WARNING. EXCESSIVE FALLS WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO RECOIL SPRINGS. AVERSION TO LARGER FALLS ADVISED.**_

"Okay... note to self, watch my step to make sure I don't overload my legs." Quote muttered to himself as he approached the stone house with the small waterfall. Taking one last deep breath of the fresh air before entering into the house. Upon entry inside the boy would find himself at the base of a set of stairs, winding up towards an upper floor. Quote would follow the stairs up the interior before finding a room with a table, two chairs, a nearby bed, a stove, a fireplace, and another door. Seated at the table would be another Mimiga, wearing what could only be described as a navy blue short dress and a red ribbon around one of her ears. What set her apart from nearly every other Mimiga he had met so far, however, was her fur color; bright lilac, a far more vibrant fur color compared to any of the other Mimiga's dull white fur. She appeared to be writing something on a book of some kind as Quote would soon cough to himself, hoping it would draw attention to the Mimiga's presence.

Luckily for him, it does.

The Mimiga would loo up from her paper at the boy, a smile appearing on her face. "Oh! I didn't even hear you enter!" She spoke. "Are you a traveler? I notice that pistol on your hip..."

Quote would nod. "Yes." He answered. "You must be Chaco, right? Santa told me to come see you."

"Ah, that old pal of mine?" The Mimiga, Chaco, responded. "Well, yeah, I'm Chaco. What brings you through here?"

"I'm looking for someone called Kazuma." Quote responded. "You wouldn't have happened to see someone by that name would you?"

"See, no..." Chaco answered. "But heard, yes. I heard some kind of voice coming off in the back sector of Grasstown, but I thought that place had been abandoned for years when those weird headstone creatures started popping up back there. If you're looking for this person, he must be back there."

"How... do I get to the back sector, per se?" Quote would ask.

"Oh! Just right through my house." Chaco responded before getting up from her chair, walking over to the door before unlocking it and holding it open for Quote. "Just right through here to get to the back sector!"

"Alright. Thank you." Quote said, staring to leave before Chaco grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" She said. "I _completely_ forgot to tell you about another danger! Keep watch for those giant red spike sets; one wrong fall onto those things and the toxic energy inside them are gonna make you burst on an instant!"

Quote would nod. "Alright. Thank you." He spoke, before walking through the door...

* * *

How long had Sue been strung up in that cage? Quote seemed to be taking an awfully long time to get back with her brother, and now she was starting to think she'd never be getting out of the cage until the Doctor's lackeys came. She slunk against the side of her cage, staring up at the ceiling as she started to drift into a nap...

...and then a loud gurgling came from her stomach region.

"What was that?" King asked, glaring at Sue.

"What, that?" Sue asked, looking at King. "Ah... sorry about that. I'm starving. I guess all that running around the place here didn't make me notice."

King would sigh, shaking his head. "It's about time for the village's lunch hour anyways. You want any specific sandwiches or some well-cooked salmon?"

Sue's thought process would come to a screeching halt. "Wait." Sue said. "I'm your prisoner... and you're giving me meal choices?!"

"..." King was silent for a bit before he spoke again. "Look. Around here the Mimiga care for one another; we see eachother as family and would do anything to at least show signs that we have hearts. You, on the other hand, seem to be only selfish for your own well-being and not caring about anyone-"

"Except for Toroko." Sue shot back, catching King off guard. "Need I remind you when that witch of the Doctor's killed her older brother, who was the one to comfort and console her after a death of her family member? Oh, yeah, _that was me!_ While _you_ were busy trying to figure out how to keep the rest of the Mimiga safe instead of tending to the one who's brother, your _friend_ , was killed by that witch!"

King fell silent, looking down at the ground as Sue crossed her arms defiantly. "You see what your pursuit of me has wrought?"

"...we'll continue this discussion later." King spoke. "Now what do you want?"

"...I'll take the sandwich." Sue sighed.

"Alright, wait here. I'll be back in a bit." King spoke, walking away from the cage as Sue would slump back down against the bars.

Sue would sigh to herself, looking back up at the ceiling of her cell. "Now what... the boy is off god knows where and I'm still trapped in this cage..."

"...maybe try being a bit more friendly towards King?" A voice asked, causing Sue to tear her eyes away from the ceiling to see... herself, in the cage with her. Not just herself, her old self; her _human_ self. Sue would be in shock as she stared at... herself, really.

"Wh-who-" Sue started before the human herself raised a hand.

"Relax." She spoke. "I'm your conscience, that's why I look like you. And no, don't worry; only you can see me."

"O...kay?" Sue asked.

"But honestly, you should try to be more friendly to King. He did lose almost the entire village and his best friend after all." The conscience spoke.

"Why though?" Sue fired back. "He's just a jerk!"

"Put yourself in his shoes." The conscience spoke. "Say for instance you lost your entire family. Everyone you love now either taken away or possibly dead because of a madman's power. How would that make you feel?"

"But that-" Sue started before realization hit her like a truck of bricks. "already... happened..."

"See?" The conscience spoke. "Now, here he comes right now, try socializing with him a bit more and relate to him. Get him to open up a bit."

"...alright." Sue spoke, looking back to her conscience. "I'll tell him everything."

The conscience would nod before it faded from view, right as King came back with a sandwich on a wooden carved plate. "Alright, here's the sandwich. Now I'll be right back." He said as he left the cage again. Sue would take a bite out of the sandwich, and her eyes would light up. Something in it gave the sandwich a light, airy sweet taste, causing flavor to burst inside Sue mouth. Curious, Sue opened her sandwich to look at its contents, seeing what looked like a thin slice of meat and cheese alone with a layer of blue flower petals. Sue would take one of the petals and pop it into her mouth, and almost instantly she'd have the taste overwhelm her mouth in how it tasted. She would continue to eat the sandwich as King came back again.

"It tasting okay?" King asked.

"Yeah." Sue spoke. "Hey..."

"Mh?"

"You know _why_ Toroko was taken, right?" Sue asked, seeming to strike a nerve in King.

"Because those minions mistook her for you." King spoke. "You're my only shot at trying to guarantee her safety. If she's gone... I don't know what I'd do..."

"I... I know the feel." Sue spoke. "I'm honestly afraid of losing my own family... and for all I know right now, my mother... might be dead..."

"...if she is, you have my condolences." King spoke. "Just understand this entire thing has stressed me out because of what this Doctor is doing..."

"I don't really blame you, to be honest." Sue spoke. "But... I don't think this is going to work. I'm sorry..."

"...what do you mean?" King asked.

"The Doctor." Sue spoke. "He's going to want all the Mimigas on the island."

"So he's not going to return Toroko?" King spoke.

Sue would merely shake her head. "He's going to keep her. And every other Mimiga on the island."

"Why should I beli-"

"He's searching for the red flowers." Sue spoke, causing King to freeze.

"Wh... wh..." The Mimiga stuttered. "The flowers? The..."

"The Hell's Hibiscus." Sue spoke. "He's going to enrage the Mimiga."

King's expression would turn to one of fear. "Jack!" He yelled for. "Get over here! NOW!"

* * *

Quote's step into the back sector from Chaco's house would be quite the departure compared to the first sector of the Bushlands. These caves were way darker; something Quote didn't even notice it when he was back in the first sector of the Bushlands. His optics lit up, flashlights built into his eyes lighting as he began his trek through the back half of the caves. The grass was still rather long back here, though a bit less vibrant compared to the front half. There were several mushrooms dotted around the area, giving off soft white glows as Quote continued back into the area. Soon enough he'd see what Chaco meant; there were odd headstone like creatures with blank red eyes staring at the ground scattered all across the area, even next to some of the old rusted metal buildings that had been abandoned back here, some on suspended chained platforms.

The boy was so observed in looking in the area that he didn't even see himself bump into one of the headstone creatures. He stumbled back, looking at the creature as it soon looked up from its position, staring at Quote with those red eyes. The boy felt a chill run down his spine as he moved around the creature, grabbing his Polar Star and keeping it close to his body as he kept slowly moving through the area before he felt something crunch under his boot. He moved his foot to see he had crunched a lightbulb under his feet, which confused him for a second, but then he looked up to see an array of lights lining along the ceiling of the cave system. He connected the dots and decided that there must be some sort of generator somewhere back here that could turn on the power.

His attention, however, would soon be turned to the larger metal building near the area, part of the paneling broken open in one area. Curious, the boy would approach the building and peer through the crack in the wall. It was hard to make out, but there appeared to be a green-haired human inside the structure with a white coat thrown over a chair at the desk he sat at, showing the red long-sleeved shirt and jeans. The computer would be on, and next to the desk was a similar make of teleporter like the one in Arthur's house.

"H-hello?" Quote spoke, lightly rapping on the metal panel to get the attention of the figure inside, which seemed to scare the person until he saw the figure of the young boy.

"Oh thank goodness..." The figure breathed, approaching the crack. "Are you that friend my sister talked about?"

Quote nodded. "You must be Kazuma?"

"Yes." The figure, Kazuma, spoke. "You're here to break me out? The door's locked from the outside."

"That was the plan." Quote said, looking over to the door. "Is there any key for it?"

"I have one right here." Kazuma spoke, slipping a rusty key through the open panel. "Try this one."

Quote would nod before walking over to the door, trying to investigate... before finding out there was no keyhole in the door. "There's... no keyhole." Quote said.

"There isn't?" Kazuma asked.

"The door is completely rusted shut." Quote answered, trying to force the door open. "I won't be able to open it this way."

"There must be a better option..." Kazuma stated.

"I'll take a look around, see if I can find any sort of other means to get that door open." Quote spoke. "You sit tight while I investigate, okay?"

"Not like I have a choice..." Kazuma stated as Quote walked off, starting to explore the rest of the powered-off area. The boy's optics would scan across the area as he saw an pathway on stone owl blocks held up by chains leading up to a house on scaffolding. Quote would start following the blocks upwards as a reading came up again.

 ** _/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY._**

Quote would sigh. "Of course..." He muttered to himself before reaching the house on the scaffolding. His sensors would go off as he heard some kind of growling from inside the building, causing him to grip tightly to the Polar Star as he approached the door...

With a swift kick he'd break down the door as he entered the house, Polar Star held up in an offensive position to shoot... but the house was abandoned, nothing inside the house giving off any sort of dangerous or living vibe... except for the Life Capsule in the corner of the room. Quote would cautiously approach the glowing capsule, not noticing the glowing eyes that would open in the fireplace as he passed by. Kneeling down next to the capsule, Quote would pick up the capsule and slot it into his arm before he heard the growling. Quickly whipping around with the Polar Star in hands, he open fired as the large creature lunged at him, screeching as Quote unloaded a whole cylinder of rounds into the creature's face. The creature would collapse to the ground, dead from the shots the boy had fired. Quote would be breathing heavily, shaken a bit from the sudden attack of the large white figure, only to realize what he had fired at...

It was another Mimiga. A Mimiga like the one he had fought back in the Egg Corridor.

Quote wasted no time getting out of that room and off the scaffolding. Upon reaching the ground again he continued his search looking around again before seeing what looked like a bunker in the ground, with a door with a keyhole...

The boy had an idea as he took out the rusted key and put it into the keyhole, turning the key and opening the lock. The key snapped off in the door as it unlocked, Quote opening the door slowly and descending into the area. The room was rather large, grass lining the floor as a machine was sitting at the back. A couple of robotic endoskeletons would line the wall, one of which would be sitting down on the ground near its slot in the wall. Quote would feel unease as he stepped into the room, soon walking to the back of the room and approaching the computer panel on the machine.

 _ **/LIGHTING POWER SUPPLY OFFLINE.**_

 _ **/FAN POWER SUPPLY OFFLINE.**_

 _ **/MALCO POWER SUPPLY OFFLINE**_

 _ **/SET ALL TO ONLINE? Y/N**_

Quote would hit the 'Y' option on the screen, as soon the lights to the room would come online, the sudden change in the visibility nearly blinding the boy. He stumbled a bit as he soon heard the whirring of air throughout the area as cleaner air filled his body; the fans were working now. He would blink a couple times, soon being able to see inside the room... just in time to see the robotic endoskeleton on the floor activating, standing up as it looked straight at Quote... and then appeared to perform some kind of jig?

"INTRUDER SIGHTED! COMPROMISE TO TEAM 9'S PLANS IMMINENT! TERMINATION COMMENCING!" The endoskeleton yelled, followed by a loud robotic screech. Quote readied his Polar Star to engage the rouge A.I...

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"

Goddamnit.

Right after those words were yelled the ceiling to the room burst open as the light from the outside area flooded in, the large box figure of Balrog hopping down in and crushing the robotic endoskeleton. "THERE you are! You've had me running around this part of the island for several hours trying to find you!"

"I don't care." Quote spoke back. "Now, if you could do yourself a favor and please get out of my way-"

"NONSENSE!" Balrog said. "After all, you're responsible for what happened to Misery!"

"And I can see why..." Misery spoke, soon warping into the room. "I didn't see it my first time laying eyes upon him, but now I can see... he's that soldier from the surface."

"Really?" Balrog asked. "The one from ten years ago?"

"I'm almost certain of it..." Misery stated, narrowing her eyes on the boy. Quote wouldn't have the slightest idea as to why they were talking about him in that way, so for now he kept to himself and kept his Polar Star trained squarely on the two.

"Yeesh!" Balrog commented. "How'd he stay alive after THAT whole thing?"

"I'm not entirely sure..." Misery spoke, her staff starting to glow again. "But I think it's time we ramp things up a bit."

"What if he's more powerful than you?" Balrog asked.

Misery merely smirked. "I never said _I_ was going to be the one handling him..." With a wave of her staff Balrog would be enveloped in a massive beam of light, muting him entirely as Misery looked back to Quote. "I just need an assistant to 'test' my little theory about you..." She would then rise out of the hole in the ceiling, before adding, "Balrog, see that you break him for sure this time..."

Balrog, within the light pillar would let out a massive croak before the light dissipated, revealing the massive hulking frame of a frog, nearly four times the size of Quote, it's peering eyes looking down at the boy as he readied his Polar Star. The frog would start slowly hopping at Quote, its weight causing the entire building to shake as it lumbered forward. Quote would run forward and duck and roll under the massive frog's hop, soon turning and unloading a cylinder of shots straight into the back of the giant amphibian. The shots, however, would just dissipate off of the frog's back, causing it to turn around and face the boy, mouth opened as red energy started building up. Quote's arcane energy readings would go off, meaning he would NOT want to get hit by the incoming attack... but he soon saw his chance, holstering his pistol and activating his fireball glove, soon throwing large amounts of fireballs into the frog's massive mouth. The massive amphibian's eyes widened, soon watering from it's spicy meal of fireballs directly to the mouth. It croaked in pain before spitting out a massive fireball at the boy.

Quote would just barely dodge out of the way as the fireball shot past him, impacting the wall and leaving a massive scorch mark in its wake. The impact would also set small fires to the grass in the generator area as embers started to fill the room, soon filtering out through the massive hole in the ceiling. Quote would tense up as the massive frog would slowly hop at him again, trying to crush him under its hulk. Quote dashed forward again and slid underneath the massive frog, just barely getting clipped as his hat got knocked off and trapped underneath the hulking beast. He kept his comments to himself as he got up, soon glaring down the frog as it turned around again, opening its maw to fire more red shots at the boy. Quote would unload another round of fireballs into the massive frog's mouth as it soon had the flames build up before it snorted at Quote two large streams of fire from its nostrils. The boy would just barely dodge out of the way before glaring at the frog, still spewing those nostril flamethrowers.

His optics would dart around the area, searching for anything that would be able to plug up those holes... before he saw what appeared to be artillery shells in the corner of the room. He acted on instinct and grabbed two shells, soon running for the massive hulking frog, ducking under the jets of flame before slamming them straight into the nostrils of the hulking frog. The sheer pressure buildup of the flame inside the frog's head would soon cause it to burst entirely, throwing Quote to the back at the room, colliding with the wall as a new reading came up.

 _ **/WARNING. TORSO HAS BEEN DAMAGED 54.93%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEM STARTING...**_

Quote silently cursed to himself as the massive frog body dissolved back into Balrog, the box-thing soon leaping out of the ceiling with the comment, "Just what the hell ARE you?!"

Quote would stagger to his feet, clutching his stomach area as he hobbled forward. "Sometimes I wonder that myself..." He would then hobble towards the endoskeleton that Balrog had unintentionally landed on, feeling a bit of pity for the poor thing as he grabbed it by the sides of his head, pulling upwards as best he could as the metallic frame was wrenched out of the ground. Quote would bring the endoskeleton to it's feet, soon resting it right as it appeared the one side of its head was slightly caved in, the red optic on the right side of its head crushed completely but somehow still functional.

"Hey, you alright there?" Quote asked the active endoskeleton.

"Th-thank you." It spoke. "You are a good person. And a strong one on top of that! Apologies for earlier."

"I-it's fine..." Quote spoke. "I just couldn't help but try and help you out after that big guy crushed you into the ground like that."

"I really appreciate you saving me!" The robot replied. "I am known as Malco, one of the units set to guard here. Tell me, what brings someone like you here?"

"There's someone trapped in one of the nearby houses here by a door rusted shut, an-" Quote started before being interrupted by Malco.

"Say no more, I have the solution for that!" The endoskeleton said, running over to the one corner of the room. "Give me a hand with some of these boxes, would you?"

"O...kay?" Quote asked, walking over and grabbing one of the boxes before noticing they were labeled 'HIGH EXPLOSIVES'. "Uhhhh..." Quote said. "How many of these do we need?"

"Just two will do!" Malco replied as it exited the room with a box, Quote following with the other box in his hands as he led Malco to the shack where Kazuma was trapped. Upon placing down the boxes in front of the door, Malco would run off to grab something while Quote went over to the crack.

"Hey, Kazuma, you still in there?" Quote asked.

"Yeah?" Kazuma responded.

"You might wanna stay clear of the door..." Quote responded, sweatdropping at the sight of the boxes. "There might be colateral damage with how we're opening it..." Kazuma nodded as Malco would come back with a long metal object.

"Got our primary trigger right here!" Malco said, handing Quote the object. "This should help keep us at a safe distance while we blast it to smithereens!"

Quote would look over the weapon Malco handed him, feeling the smooth curved shape of the weapon in his hands as he slung it over his shoulder. "One second!" Malco spoke before slotting in what appeared to be a magazine into the back of the weapon. "Alright, open fire!" Quote would tense up as he took aim at the box and pulled the trigger...

...and almost immediately found himself thrown backwards from the sudden kickback of the weapon, crashing into Malco as the missile that shot forward collided with the boxes of explosives, causing a massive detonation at the front of the building as the metal completely curled into the building, a massive hole in place of the door's location.

"SUCCESS!" Malco responded. "The door is no more!" Though that wouldn't be on Quote's mind as he rushed through the hole.

"H-hey!" Quote yelled through the smoke. "Kazuma! Are you alright?!"

A cough would come as the green haired male would wave the smoke away from his face. "Yeah, I'm fine..." He coughed. "A little warning next time would be great though..."

"Sorry..." Quote said. "Either way, we need to get you back to the village. Soon. Sue is there, and-"

"Right, let me just grab my coat..." Kazuma said before the teleporter soon activated suddenly, catching both of them off guard. Quote would put the launcher onto his back as he whipped out the Polar Star, keeping a steady aim on the teleporter...

...then be caught off guard as an old man with red glasses tumbled out of the teleporter, landing in a heap on the ground. "P-Professor Booster!" Kazuma stated. "You're alive!"

"Of course..." The professor responded as he got up, taking off his glasses and wiping them off. "Somehow. I'm not quite sure, but somehow. And what of Sue?"

"She's alive!" Kazuma said, pointing to Quote. "She had sent one of the friends she made to get me out of this building!"

Professor Booster would walk over to Quote... and stare at him a bit, intrigue growing on his face a bit as he looked him over.

"Is... is something wrong professor?" Kazuma asked.

Professor Booster would be silent for a bit before speaking again. "...no, not really." He spoke, before walking to the opening. "So where is she?"

"She's in Mimiga Village." Quote finally spoke. "There's a teleporter near the front end of the Bushalnds from where I came in."

"Ah, simple enough." Booster spoke, walking out of the building. "Come along now Kazuma, let's go get your sister."

"R-right, professor." Kazuma spoke as he left the building, leaving Quote to himself as he soon took the rocket launcher off as he scanned the weapon.

 ** _/MS-451 MISSILE LAUNCHER_**

 ** _/Explosive Class Weapon_**

 ** _/Model No. 45017_**

 ** _/Registration to TEAM 9_**

 ** _/Case Color Chromium_**

 ** _/No Warranty Applied_**

 ** _/Missiles able to be fired in either single shots or burst fire for multiple shots simultaneously._**

 ** _/Knockback allows for user to perform 'Rocket Jump' technique._**

Quote would be curious as he soon put the weapon back onto his back, walking forward to the hole when he heard Kazuma and Booster talking.

"So... the war?" Kazuma stated.

"And he plans on repeating history." Booster spoke, soon taking notice of the pink airbike nearby the shack. "Say... does that thing work?"

Kazuma would walk over and investigate the bike. "Looks like it still does. Think this'll help get us back?"

"It should." Booster said, hopping onto the back as Kazuma mounted the front of the bike, switching it on. Soon enough the bike would roar to life before taking off, in an odd circle, causing Quote to jump out of the way as it soon took off towards the entry to the Bushlands. "It wooooooooon't stooooooooooooop!" Kazuma was heard yelling as the bike took off, Quote sighing.

"Well, looks like my work is done!" Malco spoke, looking to Quote. "I wish you luck on your journey friend!"

Quote would nod back. "Thanks for the help." He spoke before taking off after Professor Booster and Kazuma...

* * *

"I don't understand though." Jack spoke as he and King let Sue out of the cage in the village square. "Why would the Doctor want to use Mimigas like us to take over the entire world?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself." Sue spoke. "But what I do know is that once he gets his hands on those flowers, those Mimiga forced to eat them..."

"Including Toroko..." King spoke, soon stamping his foot. "I won't allow this to happen!"

"None of us will." Sue spoke. "As far as I know right now, the Doctor hasn't found the flowers yet, so there still might be time to stop him. That's why I had Quote get my brother from being stuck in the Bushlands."

Jack's ear would twitch as he looked towards the house. "And judging from that sound, looks like they're back now."

Sue's eyes would light up as she ran off towards the house, followed by King and Jack. Sue would fling open the door to the house, her heart rising upon seeing the familiar green haired male and the old man...

"KAZUMA!" Sue yelled, running hand hugging tightly to him. "Oh my god bro... oh my god..."

"It's okay Sue..." Kazuma said, holding the hug. "I'm here now..." At that point King and Jack would enter into the room, catching the attention of Professor Booster.

"Ah, yes. Hello there." Booster spoke, earning confused looks from King and Jack. "I assume you two are the leaders?"

"Oooooookay, this is officially weird." Jack spoke as the teleporter booted up again and Quote stepped out of the teleporter, slightly disoriented.

"Ooof..." Quote moaned, grabbing attention of Sue as she rushed over to him.

"Thank you!" Sue spoke, before looking to Professor Booster. "Professor, can we take him along once the egg is hatched, can we can we pleeeease?"

"..." Professor Booster remained silent.

"Professor?" Kazuma asked.

"Sue, we will have to put our escape on hold for the time being." Professor Booster spoke.

"What?" Sue asked. "Why? what's wrong?"

"...the Doctor has found the hibiscus." Booster spoke. King tensed up as the rest of the room fell silent. "At the moment, he doesn't have his hands on them, but he is more than aware of the location they are stored at."

"Wh-where are they?" Sue asked.

"Their location is the Sand Zone, but-" Booster started before King interrupted.

"I'm going." The Mimiga said, drawing his blade. "I have a score to settle with that bastard."

"That would be inadvisable." Professor Booster spoke. "The Sand Zone is no walk in the park, or place for someone like us to go to without high risk of death."

"So that's it then?" King growled. "You're just giving up?"

"Not exactly." Professor Booster spoke. "There is someone who can go in our stead."

"And... who exactly is that?" Quote would ask, finally speaking for the first time in the interaction.

"Simple." Booster spoke, pointing to him. "You."

"Him?" Kazuma asked. "Why him?"

"Do you not see what he is Kazuma?" Booster spoke, indicating to Quote. "He's an armed scout robot that was dispatched to this island almost ten years ago."

"Wait, he's a ROBOT?!" Kazuma exclaimed.

"Yeesh, coulda fooled me!" Sue spoke. "I legit thought he was human!"

Quote would deadpan. "Yes, because I'm very sure all humans have metal skin." He dryly commented, before looking to Booster. "So, you want me to go?"

Professor Booster would nod as Kazuma walked over to the computer. "You right now are the most ideal candidate for stopping the Doctor before he gets those flowers. Find them in the Sand Zone, and destroy them before he gets the chance to use them."

Quote was silent for a second... then nodded, determination in his optics.

"I've linked with the Sand Zone, Professor." Kazuma stated, before looking to Quote. "It's all up to you now."

Quote nodded, stepping onto the teleporter as he felt the world warp around him...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 2 End**_


	4. Chapter 3: Curls Gone Wild

Off in a small stone abode within the harsh climate of the Sand Zone within the island, life was still unfolding inside it. A couple of small Mimigas, all wearing light green shirts with brown pants, were running around the small abode's sandy floor, not having much more than a table, a couch, a door to the next room, and a couple of iron girders sticking out of the ceiling; the one in the front clutching to what appeared to be a silver cylindered rose red Machine Gun.

"C'mon Kiron, give it here!" One of the three Mimiga chasing the gun holding one said. "Mama is gonna be mad if her gun gets damaged!"

"Lighten up Hanil!" The one Mimiga holding the gun said. "I know how to handle this thing!" At that moment the Mimiga would trip, the gun knocked from his grasp as it was thrown forward, soon hitting the ground and firing off energy rounds uncontrollably. The four Mimigas screamed as they all ran and ducked for cover at the shots kicked up sand into the air, making it hard to see...

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Hanil yelled, cowering behind a turned table.

"I-I CAN'T!" Kiron cried, cowering where he had tripped as the shots would just barely miss his fur. The screams and shots would continue for about a good thirty seconds before suddenly it stopped, now a new sound filling the Mimiga's loppy ears.

"Alright, which one of you boys started messing with my weapons?" A new voice said, female in presentation as the sand dust settled, revealing the new figure. It was another humanoid robot, female in design and appearance; she had long blonde hair that came down to about her mid-back and bright blue eyes, along with a green headset in place of where her ears would be. Her plating was white with a bit of interlaced grey on the sides of her torso, albeit it was a bit dirty from the sand kicked up from both inside the residence and outside in the Sand Zone itself. Her clothing consisted of a white-trimmed red sports bra that came down to the top of her midriff, a pair of fingerless red gloves, a set of red cargo shorts that matched her top, adorned with a small green metal patch with a red heart, an orange belt, what appeared to be a magazine bag for a gun, and a set of sturdy maroon, red, and orange combat shoes. The expression adorned on her face was... less than amused.

"Didn't I tell you boys not to be playing with my Machine Gun?" The figure said.

"Sorry mama..." Kiron said, hanging his head as the figure then kneeled beside him, lightly rubbing his head.

"Now look, this is a dangerous weapon, _not_ a toy, is that clear Kiron?" The figure said again. "I don't want to have to punish any of you for misbehaving with a weapon that could seriously hurt any of you, understood?"

"Yes mama!" All the Mimigas said.

"Alright." The female figure responded. "Now, mama Curly has to go rest for a bit to get herself back running at an optimum level. Keep yourselves quiet while I go charge up, okay?"

"Okay mom..." Hanil said, a sad look in his eyes as the female robot, Curly, moved past the two and into the back room. The room was rather small, only having one bed and a bookshelf, along with a monitor with a LCD screen with a heart close to the head of the bed, similar to one that Quote found back where he woke up. Curly would sigh, locking the door as she leaned against it, slowly sliding to the floor as a reading came up in front of her.

 _ **/WARNING. VITALITY LEVELS AT DANGEROUSLY LOW LEVELS. RECOMMENDED RECHARGE.**_

Curly would give off a small smile, soon getting up and sitting on the bed as she grabbed the hem of her sports bra, soon pulling it up and off herself, revealing a simple green colored bra underneath. She would then remove her shoes before she slid off her pants, showing a pair of green panties with a small heart insignia at the front of them, with ties on either sides. She would then move a bit to lie on the bed, taking a small cord from the Heart Monitor and plugging it into the headset she wore, soon closing her eyes as she felt herself power down into sleep mode, the cord from the Heart Monitor slowly coursing red glows through it into the headset, and Curly, as a whole. As she slept, her thoughts would go over the events of what had happened so far...

 ** _/CURRENT STATUS: 6 days since reactivation._**

 ** _/MEMORY DECORRUPTION: Progress of 0.01% in today's timeframe._**

 ** _/TOTAL MEMORY DECORRUPTION: Progress of 23.47% overall._**

 ** _/COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS: 95% recovered._**

 ** _/PARTNER UPLINK: 0% recovered._**

The system would go on for a while as Curly slept, slowly but surely recharging. After about a half hour, she would be next to fully recharged before a new notification came up.

 _ **/WARNING. UNKNOWN TELEPORTATION ENERGY DETECTED NEARBY. INVESTIGATION ADVISED.**_

Curly would soon sit up, stretching a bit as she would shut off the notification, soon slipping back into her own clothes as she unlocked the door, stepping back into the room as the younger Mimigas were still playing around. She grabbed her Machine Gun before opening the door and stepping out into the harsher climate. Almost immediately in front of her was a location she called 'The Sinkhole Funnel', a Brimstone and Sandstone bridge held up by chains to the stone ceiling of the area. Curly activated her scanner again, soon tracing the signal to... the bottom of the funnel? Confused, Curly jumped of the side of the bridge and slid down the sandy slope until she had reached the base of the funnel, to see... a tunnel? Odd, she didn't remember there being a tunnel at the bottom of this pit. She approached the mouth and looked down its hallway to see... a teleporter?

"I don't remember that being there..." Curly spoke to herself as she gripped her Machine Gun tightly, ducking behind a rock as she stared down the teleporter... before it fired up, a figure stepping out... that was another robot, much like herself.

Curly's throat tightened as she made a mad dash back for the Residence. In the back of her mind her thoughts were racing as to what she would know as to why another robot would come here.

 _The Mimiga. It was going to kill the Mimiga._

* * *

Quote was... inherently confused as to who he had just seen rush away from behind a rock, but for the time being he decided to shrug it off and make his way through the short tunnel into what appeared to be a large sandy funnel, with him at the bottom. Judging from the smell of hot energy and the recent smoke, seems that girl had fired her weapon off before ascending the large sandhole. However, this only seemed to confuse Quote as it appeared to be that there was no way to get up to the top to even begin with... until he noticed the stone blocks jutting out of the sides of the sand funnel.

He then had a lightbulb moment go off on his head as he drew the Missile Launcher from his back. He had remembered reading something about a 'Rocket Jump' with the weapon, and so he took aim near his feet, jumped, and pulled the trigger...

Quote would soon find himself flying high into the air before he landed onto one of the stone blocks, his boots covered in ash from the exploded missile. He wobbled a bit, not quite used to the kickback from rocket jumping as he looked back up towards the top, seeing what appeared to be a bridge overconnecting two sides of the funnel. After a few more rocket jumps, he'd find his hands clamping onto the side of the bridge, soon hoisting himself up onto the structure, looking back down into the sandy pit. He shuddered; he did _not_ want to have to go through that entire thing again. He kept slowly walking as he approached a door nearby, a sign of a drink above it. Quote couldn't make any sort of accurate identification about it, assuming it to be a rest station of some kind. Soon enough he approached the door, and put the side of his head up to it, listening into the room on the other side. He'd hear whimpering and a hushed female voice speaking for someone to hide, giving him the thought that there might be someone trying to protect someone. He decided to knock on the door. "H-hello?" Quote asked.

The sounds on the other side of the door would stop, supposedly freezing up as if there was no movement inside... before light footsteps ran to the door. "Come in!" The female voice said, which Quote assumed belonged to the girl he saw earlier. Quote would keep his Polar Star holstered as he slowly opened the door, entering into the room, seeing it abandoned...

...before being violently butted in the back of the head by a gun butt. Quote fell to the floor, pain coursing though his head as a new reading came up.

 _ **/WARNING. HEAD HAS BEEN DAMAGED 23.97%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEM STARTING...**_

At that point the boy felt the barrel of the gun pressed up against the back of his head and a foot planted squarely on the small of his back, holding him there as the voice spoke.

"I know what you want to do." The female voice said, angry, pressing the gun barrel harder into the back of Quote's head. "Let's get one thing straight, however. The Mimigas are _not_ your enemies. And if you even dare try to hurt them, I won't hesitate to blow your head off, no matter where you run to."

Quote's mind was racing as he was held there, trying to think of a solution out of this... but sadly, he didn't seem to be able to find a way out without a fight. Silently apologizing to himself for what he was about to do, the boy would twist-roll out from underneath the female robot right as a shot hit the floor where his head was, throwing sand up into the air. Quote would soon unholster the Polar Star and open fire on the female, who rolled out of the way and unloaded a magazine of energy bullets at the boy. Quote ducked behind the couch as the shots tore through the fabric. The boy gritted his teeth as he leaned out from his cover and opened fire at the female, who then dived behind and kicked over the table, using it as a barrier itself. Splinters would fly from the shots from the Polar Star colliding with the table.

The girl gritted her teeth, ducking out from behind the table and unloading another magazine of energy bullets at the couch again. Quote tensed up as he returned fire, an energy bullet from the machine gun barely grazing his cheek, causing him to wince in pain as he fell back, the Missile Launcher hitting the ground and accidentally firing off a discharge and having the rocket bounce all across the room like an out of control toy. Both Quote and the female would get onto the ground, before the missile would then shoot straight for the female.

Quote didn't know what took over his body at that point, but he had made a mad dash for the girl's position and shoved her right out of the way...

...just as the missile collided directly with him, causing a large explosion. A new reading came up:

 ** _/CRITICAL ERROR! TORSO HAS BEEN DAMAGED 102.86%. INITIATING EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN FOR MEMORY PRESERVATION._**

Quote silently cursed to himself as the light left his eyes and he shut down right then and there on the floor.

* * *

Curly felt a sharp jolt to her side before collapsing on the floor, the explosion going off and temporarily blinding her optics. When her vision cleared she saw the boy that had attacked, collapsed on the ground unconscious with a massive scorch mark and twisted metal across his back. Considering that nearly moments ago she was about to be blasted to pieces by a discharged missile and it hadn't given her enough time to throw up her explosives barrier, she was surprised that the other robot had thrown itself in harm's way to save her life. Though for now she put those thoughts to the side as she soon rushed to the unconscious boy, picking him up and taking him to the back room.

"Mama, did you get him?" Kiron said as Curly had brushed past him, setting him down on the bed. "Is he dead?"

"I don't think so..." Curly spoke, soon getting one of the wires out of the Heart Monitor and plugging them into the boy's headset. "He may still be alive, thankfully."

"But you had said that robot was gonna kill us!" A third of the Colons squeaked. "Why are you helping him?"

"I feel there may have been a misunderstanding." Curly spoke. "He saved me from being blown apart..." There would be a bit of silence in the room before Curly spoke again. "Could... could you kids go play in the other room for a bit? I need some time alone to think."

"Okay mama." Another of the Colons said before the four Mimigas shuffled out the door, leaving the blonde robot to herself. She would return to look over the powered off robot, before noting something about him she hadn't noticed during her adrenaline rush in fighting in the other room, but now... she noticed he was much like her in multiple aspects; the stark white metal skin, the green built-in headset where the ears would be... even down to the clothing style and coloration of that similar pale red in them. Maybe... they were both built by the same creator? It might be a one-in-a-billion shot, but maybe...

A thought then occurred to her. Maybe she should check his memory data to see if so? She blushed a bit, a bit embarrassed at the thought of prodding his private data... but, her curiosity would get the better of her as she opened up a side screen on the Heart Monitor, with what appeared to be an old startup screen on it as she typed into a pop-out keyboard from the monitor.

"Wow..." Curly breathed. "Even running on DOS... this can't be a coincidence..." She spoke, soon starting to browse through his memory banks, starting to see his side of what he was going through... and it pained her heart knowing this entire thing stemmed from just a misunderstanding after seeing he was helping other Mimiga. She was about to start thinking about how to apologize before a reading came up on the screen.

 ** _/TORSO DAMAGE REPAIRED BY 57.9%. INITIATING REBOOT..._**

 _'Shit!'_ Curly panicked, sliding the screen back in and trying to keep her cool as the male robot slowly reawakened.

"Oooof..." The boy moaned, leaning up as he held his head in pain. "Owwww..."

"Oh, y-you're awake!" Curly said, smiling a bit. "Is your torso gonna be okay?"

"Nnnnghh... I think so..." The boy responded. "How... how long was I out?"

"It's been... about fifteen minutes by now." Curly responded, before looking down. "...sorry about the misunderstanding earlier..."

"What, that whole thing back there?" The boy asked. "...I can understand you were only trying to do what's right."

"As I've learned, so were you." Curly responded. "I... did some peeking around while you were repairing yourself, an-"

"Wait." The boy spoke, a deadpan look on his face. "You looked into my memory banks?"

"...yeah?"

"How much?"

"Well..." Curly blushed, looking away. "...all of it?"

"..." The boy would be silent for a bit before letting out a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I just need to know where th-"

"The warehouse to the flowers is?" Curly finished for him, surprising him. "I know where it is, but I don't have access to the inside. I might know who would though."

"You do?" The boy asked.

Curly nodded. "There's an old mystic in the Sand Zone by the name of Jenka; supposedly she's been around here for centuries as a matter of fact. She might know how to get into the warehouse."

"Alright then." The boy spoke, starting to get up. "Quote." He spoke, extending a hand.

"Curly Brace." Curly responded, taking the hand and shaking it. Though the greeting would be short-lived as they soon heard a blast from the other room.

Needless to say, the two hi-tailed it into the other room, weapons drawn at the ready.

* * *

"Aaaaand that makes four!" Misery cooed to herself, having all four of the Colon children trapped in bubbles as they squirmed and writhed in horror. "This is just getting easier and easier by the hour..."

"How many more do you think the Doctor needs?" Balrog asked, looking up at the Mimigas.

"He'll need as many as we can bring or until we're told otherwise." Misery spoke. "Or at least until we can procure the location of those flowers from my mother..."

"You really think Auntie Jenka knows where those flowers are?" Balrog spoke.

"Oh please, that hag is older than dirt at this point." Misery spat. "She'd know everything about this damn floating rock by this point. So after we take these little runts back t-" She was interrupted as a blast came to her backside, the smoke starting to curl off it as she whirled around, glaring daggers at who had decided to interrupt; the smoke coming from the barrel of that familiar cobalt gun and that red hat clicked in her mind, and soon enough she saw red.

" _You_ again?!" Misery growled. "When will you just give up already?!"

"When you give back Toroko." Quote spoke, serious in tone as he directed the gun straight for Misery's head. "Now put those children down."

The witch's eye twitched as she glared at Quote and Curly. "Y-you think you can just order me around like this? You _really_ think you have the audacity to order me to do something when you're not even a bearer of the Crown?!"

"He doesn't need to be." Curly angrily said, aiming her Machine Gun right for Misery as well. "Now give me back my children."

Something snapped in Misery at that point, as she just glared at the two in silence before she spoke again. "Balrog."

"Yeah Mi-"

" _Kill them._ " Misery almost growled, before warping out of the room with the trapped Colons. Balrog would then look to the two in the room, both of which had their weapons squarely aimed right for the gigantic box-thing.

"So... are you sure you guys don't wanna tal-" was all Balrog spoke before Quote blasted him in the face with the Polar Star. Needless to say, Balrog didn't like that before, and he certainly didn't like it now. The box thing lept up into the air before flapping his little nubs of arms as it flew towards Quote and Curly's location.

"You take the left, I got the right!" Curly spoke. Quote silently nodded before the two dodged to either side as Balrog came crashing down; the impact from his landing kicking up dust and white-hot bouncing orbs that bounced around the small abode. Balrog would look to Curly before firing off a barrage of energy spheres, however, he ended up leaving himself open from behind, and the boy took advantage of that, aiming the Missile Launcher right at the box's back. He inhaled, the pulled and held the trigger. A barrage of three missiles fired at once before slamming straight into Balrog's back, knocking him forward onto his face. The box xoon got back up and lept into the air again, this time flying for Quote as he intended to flatten him. The boy dodge-rolled out from behind his cover as Balrog came crashing down, releasing another burst of bouncing orbs as he fired in Quote's direction, the boy barely being able to dodge thanks to his still-recovering torso. However, thankfully, he wouldn't have to dodge for long as Curly dodge-rolled out from behind her cover, now with a new gun as she opened fire on Balrog's back. Seating yellow shots letting out a screeching noise came from the barrel of the new weapon as the shots collided with Balrog's back, throwing him off his guard.

At this point the box started to go into a hissy fit as he kept jumping and stomping, spewing more of the white-hot orbs across the abode. Quote motioned to Curly, and she nodded in agreement. They both needed to get out of there before Balrog brought the whole place down on them. Fortunately, they were lucky in not having the gigantic box's attention as he threw his stomping fit, so they were able to sneak out just in time as the stone residence crumbled around Balrog while they were outside. Both of them collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as the rubble settled.

"Damnit..." Quote panted. "We couldn't stop her from getting away with those children..."

Curly merely clenched her fist, hitting it on the ground in anger. "No..."

"We'll get them back Curly." Quote said, rubbing a hand on her back. "But right now there's more pressing issues. Those flowers need to be found and destroyed or else those Mimiga are not gonna be saved."

Curly would nod, slowly getting up. "I'll do this for them."

"Where's Jenka living?"

"Her house is just a bit further into the Sand Zone." Curly said, heading off across the bridge over the pit. "Just a bit into the Sun Temple we should find the hatch that leads further into the desert, stay close!"

Quote would nod, soon giving pursuit after the blonde robot across the bridge. He may not have spent much time getting to know her, but something about her felt familiar to him. He feels like he's known the robot before, but he could've sworn he had never met her before in his time awake... maybe the two just had good chemistry together? Whatever it was, Quote had a good feeling in his gut that this would help.

Maybe things were finally looking up for him.

* * *

Curly had to admit to herself, she didn't fully understand Quote at first, especially since he didn't seem like the one to quip at the ones he fought like she had done from time to time. He usually seemed to remain silent when fighting, which had honestly concerned her a bit since communication was a major part working together in combat, but she figured they can work on that once they get to know eachother a bit more.

Soon enough she reached near the entrance of the Sun Temple and... wait, something wasn't right here. The normal large circular hatch that would be open and leading down into the lower bowels of the Sand Zone was completely closed off, the large gears looking like they haven't moved for some time now.

"That's... odd." Curly spoke to herself, looking at the massive hatch.

"What's odd?" Quote asked, now having caught up to her and seeing the massive hatch.

"This hatch leads down deeper to the Sand Zone and where Jenka lives." Curly spoke. "The problem is right now it's closed. And I distinctly remember it still being open yesterday..."

"Hmmm..." Quote mused to himself, before Curly interrupted again.

"I bet those cretins must've known we were going to Jenka, so they sealed up the way there!" Curly spoke. "Damnit, now how are we going to get through here?!"

Quote would remain silent, before noticing what appeared to be some sort of mechanical seams around the edges of the door. Kneeling down and looking over the seams, a new scanner would activate in his eyes as he'd monitor over the entire door, soon seeing what looked like wires inside the floor leading backwards into the temple-like structure. He'd keep the scanning up until he heard a voice.

"Uhh, hello? Island to Quote, you there?" Curly asked.

Quote blinked, then looked to Curly. "Ah, sorry, was just scanning the thing."

"What'd you find out?" The blonde robot asked.

"Looks like there's some sort of activation mechanism deeper within the structure." Quote spoke. "We throw that, we might just get our way into the lower areas."

Curly would look off in the direction of the temple. "Good point."

"Let's try looking there first. You know the way?" Quote asked.

"Not through the temple." Curly spoke. "I've rarely been in there at all."

"...looks like this'll be a blind experience for both of us then." Quote said, readying the Polar Star. "We should stick close to eachother."

"Not complaining here." Curly said, readying her Machine Gun with the other weapon attached to her hip. "Let's start looking."

Quote nodded before the two started into the temple, heading up the short stairs before passing the columns into the temple itself. Ahead of the two would be rivers of sand, small islands inbetween them made of square stone with enough space for the two of them to stand on. The sand was flowing out of larger archways that gave the scouts a peek into the deeper areas of the temple, showing a complex working of stone walkways over the sand inside there, and large chains hanging from the ceiling, the links bigger than Quote and Curly themselves.

"Yeesh..." Quote breathed. "Well, guess we should start looking." Quote said, soon jumping onto the sand to make his way to the first stone island... but not before being violently yanked back by Curly as a large pair of green toothy jaws burst up from the sand, narrowly missing him as they clamped shut.

"You're welcome." Curly said. "You gotta be more careful around the moving sands here, Sandcrocs are known to hide in 'em."

"Appreciate the tip." Quote said, getting up and looking at the Sandcroc, who was looking back at him with it's only eye facing the two. "Is... is he just gonna sit there?"

"They usually do." Curly said, climbing on top of it's closed maw. "Once these things attack, they usually don't go back into the sand unless provoked."

"So you're safe to just climb up that thing?" Quote asked, feeling a bit concerned for Curly's safety.

"Hey, I've gotten used to living in this area for most of my online time from almost a week ago." Curly deadpanned. "I've got a beastiary in my files on nearly every kind of monster there is out here in this desert, so I know my shit when it comes to all of these."

Quote would shrug. "If you say so..." He spoke, climbing up the Sandcroc as Curly lept to the stone island, Quote following along behind her. The process for the two would be repeated for a bit before Quote noticed something... odd from some of the deeper holes off further in the temple area.

"Are... those embers?" Quote asked, looking at seeing the rising heat particles coming from somewhere down below.

Curly smiled. "Oh man, you are in for a _heck_ of a surprise once we get through!" She spoke, still leading the way towards the deeper parts of the temple. Quote would silently follow for a while before the two came to a larger open room, the sandy floor forming some dunes as there were pillars further back in the entire room, holding it up as light filtered in from a center point in the room.

"So, this where you got that scan for the hatch coming from?" Curly asked, looking around the area.

"This was where those wires were running..." Quote spoke, activating his scanner again as he surveyed the room. "I'm not seeing any sort of switch though..."

"You think it's buried under all this sand?" Curly said. "Dang, and I don't even have a shovel."

Quote would remain silent, still trying to scan the room before a new reading came up.

 _ **/WARNING! DANGEROUSLY HIGH ARCANE ENERGY READINGS NEARBY!**_

"We've got company." Quote said, unholstering his Polar Star and keeping it close to himself as Curly reacted in like, getting her Machine Gun ready. Soon enough both scout robots would hear an all too familiar voice...

"That no-good...! Gggrh!" The female voice growled angrily, Misery appearing high above the two. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted Balrog to take care of this..."

"The gig is up you pale skinned witch!" Curly growled, pointing her Machine Gun right at Misery. "I swear, if you hurt one hair on those kids, I-"

"Calm your circuits." Misery spat back. "I have no use for them myself. Rest assured, right now they're just resting at the Plantation."

"What the hell is your deal anyways?" Curly questioned. "You barge in for no reason, and start abducting Mimigas and children from all across the island!"

"You really think I have a choice in the matter?" Misery growled, landing on the ground. "So as long as I'm attached to that damn Crown's curse, I have no choice but to obey the wearer of it!"

"Then tell your master I don't take lightly to kidnappers, and if he doesn't return those children, I'm gon-" She'd be interrupted as soon a rumbling occurred in a room, throwing all three off guard. "What the?!"

"Well, looks like I won't even need to get my hands dirty for this..." Misery spoke soon taking back to the air. "I'll be back to clean up your scraps." At that point what appeared to be a large rocky egg-like object bursting from the center of the room, metallic workings attached to its underside as two blood-red optics flashed open, staring at the two scout robots before it spoke.

 _ **"WORTHLESS CONSUMER MODELS."**_ The gigantic mech spoke before its egg-like top split open, a cannon inside spewing large rocky 'spores' into the air, before it closed up and sunk back into the sand. However, not before Quote got a good scan on the beast.

 _ **/SCAN COMPLETE.**_

 _ **/BATTLE CRAFT SGE-123 "OMEGA"**_

 _ **/CURRENT VITALITY 400**_

 _ **/VULNERABILITY DETECTED IN OPTICS**_

"Go for the eyes!" Quote yelled, before dodge-rolling out of the way as it resurfaced, opening its gigantic maw again as more of the spores shot into the air. Quote readied the Fireball and threw the blazing heat orbs right into the massive mech's right optic. The thing let out loud garbled screeches of speech as the spores would start to descend on them. Curly would wield her Machine Gun as she took aim and opened fire, blasting the spores out of the air as they blew into scrap metal.

"This is like shootin' fish in a barrel! Too easy!" The blonde robot commented. Quote nodded to Curly before the gigantic mech sunk back into the sand. Both Quote and Curly would tense up, feeling for the vibrations in the sand before Omega emerged right from underneath the blonde one. Curly gritted her teeth as she prepared for the maw of the mech to open...

...and once it did she unloaded a flurry of white-hot energy bullets straight into the gaping maw of the gigantic mech. The mech let out more garbled voice prompts before then firing a blurry of spores nearly point black at Curly, intending to get her off it. Curly held her ground, still opening fire at the center of the mech. What caught her off-guard however was when the mech then decided to emerge from the sand fully, leaping up and almost crunching her in its gigantic maws... had Quote not dived and shoved her out of the way, fractions of a second before the maw snapped shut. The two would roll in the sand a bit before coming to a stop.

"Guess I owe ya another one." Culry commented, getting back up before seeing the mech in front of her. "But looks like we're not done yet!"

 _ **"ACTIVATION READY! DESTROY! DESTROY!"**_ The mech bellowed as it soon started hopping about the arena, spitting out more of the spores upon each landing. Quote got back into action and started hurling fireballs into its optics again, Curly handling the airborne spores. With one last Fireball throw, Omega's right optic would be shattered, the mech now flying into a metaphorical rage as it lept into the air and slammed into the center of the arena, burrowing into the ground as the sand around them started to move in towards the center of the arena like a sinkhole. Quote and Curly would struggle against the sinking sand as Omega started thrashing its maws, intending to crunch the two scouts into nothing more than shredded circuits.

"I hope you got some sort of idea for this Quote!" Curly yelled as she was still struggling to get away from the the clamping maws. Quote's mind race for a second before hastily pulling out the Missile Launcher, holding down the trigger before firing a burst of nearly seven missiles straight into the maw of the beast. Whatever Quote's knee-jerk action did, it apparently worked as Omega stopped moving, smoke curling off its metallic frame before violently detonating, hurling sand up into the air and burying the two robots under it. It was silent for a while... then the two robots had dug themselves out of the sand itself.

"Oooof..." Quote spoke, holding his head in pain as he was still half-buried in the sand. "You alright Curly?"

"I'm fine, but I've got sand in my servos..." The blonde responded, pulling herself out of the sand. "Whatever that thing was, it gave us a hell of a run for our money."

"No kidding." Quote said finally managing to pull himself out of the sand.

"Still no sign of that switch?"

"Lemme check..." Quote said, activating his scanner again and looking around the room. This time however he did get a reading; a switch right where that gigantic mech had been when they first came it. "Alright, looks like it was here after all. Guess that mech must have been blocking the scan readings."

"Well, you gonna throw it?" Curly asked, putting a hand on her hip.

Quote would nod, before stepping onto the large switch, his weight compressing locking the button into place. A loud creaking sound would be heard far off from the two, causing Curly to grow excited.

"Oooooh, the hatch is opening! C'mon!" Curly said, grabbing Quote by the hand and rushing off with him back to the entrance...

* * *

After a drag back through the temple, Curly would bring Quote back to the large hatch in the floor just as it started to creak open, the cogs turning and cranking as the large door parts slowly swiveled open, hot air blasting up into the two scout robot's faces as embers would star rising up through the opening.

Curly grinned widely. "Ready to get a true taste of what the Sand Zone has in store?"

"I... guess?" Quote asked, a bit concerned about the rising embers. "Is something going on down there?"

"Oh there's a _lot_ going on!" Curly said, soon following the stone stairs down. "C'mon! Jenka's place isn't too far from here!"

Quote hesitated a bit before proceeding along with Curly down the stairwell, soon getting a view out into the rest of the desert... his mechanical jaw dropping from the sight of the place. Turns out the Sand Zone wasn't just a desert, it was also part of an active lava crater! The hot molten solid poured out from several undefined points of the ceiling, pooling in several large stone bowl which then poured into smaller ones as well. Across the dunes lower in the area were several skeletal creatures, seeming to fight among eachother, as well as larger stone monoliths and ancient statue pieces, creating some odd platforms over the sand and the lava. Hot embers would be rising up from the larger lakes of the molten iron; if this area would have been dark from the lack of holes, the glow coming off from the magma sure counteracted for that, bathing the entire area in almost reddish-orange glow, accentuated by the rising embers.

"Heh, impressed by the sights, aren't ya?" Curly spoke as the two kept descending the stairs. "We'll be getting to Jenka's place soon, look alive!" Quote would nod before the two would arrive at another blocky stone house; this one being tucked away in an alcove away from most of the glow of the magma. The entrance to the house was of an ancient carved stone archway, leading up to a stacking chimney above it. Sand slightly trickled from the ceiling onto several of the barrels nearby outside the house. To Quote the house was... odd, to say the least.

"She's a bit on the stern side, but you'll warm up to her eventually." Curly said before knocking on the door. "Miss Jenka? Are you there?"

"Is that a Curly Brace I hear outside my home?" An elderly female voice came from behind the door. "Do come in, please! I was wondering when you'd be bringing company!"

Quote was confused; he hadn't even seen this woman and yet she knew that he was coming with Curly? He felt a wave of unease flow through him before Curly spoke to him.

"Don't worry; she's a mystic. She knows when there's more than just me." Curly responded, before opening the door for the two to walk in. The following room was rather dark, only lit by the few candles and the larger red setup of liquids near the back wall, flowing through what appeared to be small tubes and larger clear vats, almost as if it was a chemistry set. Around the abode seemed to be a couple of young dogs, one sleeping inside a chest with his head resting on the edge of the box itself, another gnawing on a moderately sized bone, while the other two seemed to be merely speaking in dog to eachother. Near the larger setup at the back wall, busily working away at the red liquids, was a woman, a bit shorter in stature that Quote and Curly, aging as evident by her silvery-white hair tied into a bun with a red pin and wrinkled skin. She wore black underneath a green outer robe, and her large glasses helped with her poor eyesight. In her one hand she had a redwood cane, a small gem in the top of it that she was using for support.

"Ah, good to see you again after so long Curly." Jenka spoke, not yet turning around to face the two. "Just give me one second, I'm almost done fixing this new Life Pot serum."

Curly nodded and smiled. "It won't take lone, I promise." She spoke, before motioning to Quote. "Meet my friend I met today!"

"Uhm... hi." Quote said, sheepishly waving a bit.

"Hello to yourself, young one." Jenka said, dispensing the red swirling liquid from the larger end vat into a smaller jar, capping it off with a lid before turning around hobbling forward a bit before placing the Life Pot on a nearby shelf. "Now then Curly, what brings you two to my small home today?"

"Well, that's the thing." Curly spoke. "My friend here is on a mission to destroy something called 'red flowers'. We came to you because we thought you would know som-"

"Ah, you're after the Hell's Hibiscus are you?" Jenka responded. "I should have presumed so. Why else would two scout robots from the surface be here asking me about it?"

"Well, ma'am, I-" Quote was about to continue, though a yell from outside the house interrupted him.

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"

"Not again..." Quote grumbled to himself as he whipped around, aiming his Polar Star at the doorway as the familiar shape of Balrog burst through the door again, waking up and alerting the other dogs in the room as they started barking loudly at the box thing. Curly had her weapon drawn on Balrog as well, gritting her teeth.

"Long time no see auntie!" Balrog spoke, completely ignoring Quote and Curly aiming at him. "You been doing okay?"

Jenka would shift a bit before responding. "Well yes, that is, until you made your destructive entrance through my front door." She said before sighing. "You seriously need to find a less destructive entrance..."

"Aw, you can just repair it, right?" Balrog said, prompting a disgruntled sigh from the old woman, pinching her forehead.

"...I see you haven't changed a bit." Jenka responded, before looking back at Balrog. "And how's my half-wit of a daughter doing?"

"Oh, Misery? She's been doing fine, sorta. Seeming to get a bit antsy though." The box spoke, before looking back to Jenka. "Anyways! There's a new master that appeared here nearly a week ago. We're certain the surface will belong to us this time!"

"...you're _seriously_ still trying to do that?" Jenka responded. "Now what could you need to come to me for?"

"The key to the warehouse, obviously!" Balrog responded, holding out one of his fins. "I hope you haven't given it to these two deadbolts, ave you?"

Jenka tilted her head a bit. "Well... no, I haven't given them the key." She spoke. "But sadly, it's no longer in my possession for me _to_ give them."

"What?" Balrog asked, confused.

"Sadly, the poor thing had fallen out of my pocket somewhere out in the dunes of the Sand Zone a while back." Jenka merely said. "Could possibly be melted within the lava here by this point, depending on how the tides here have changed."

"Awwww, no..." Balrog moped. "And here I thought getting the key would have been easy."

Jenka merely shrugged her old shoulders. "Sadly can't be helped Balrog. It's out there somewhere in the Sand Zone, I just sadly can't remember where it could have fallen out."

Balrog stamped his foot in disappointment. "I'll comb over this entire desert until I find that key! Just you wait!" He yelled, before bolting out the hole he had made where the door was. Jenka would sigh again before looking to the two scout robots.

"Apologies, really." Jenka spoke. "That cryptid really has no sense of spacial awareness."

"Wait, so you're the mother of that witch that stole my children?" Curly asked, starting to get mad before Quote calmed her down.

"Yes, sometimes regrettably so..." Jenka spoke, pacing a bit back and forth across the floor. "She just wouldn't listen when I told her not to pester her uncle to make that damn thing..."

"Is there any other way we can get into that warehouse?" Quote asked the elderly woman.

"...you have amnesia, don't you?" Jenka spoke, stepping back over to her set near the back wall. "I can tell it in those vacant looks in both your eyes."

"I can't remember anything before I reactivated earlier today." Quote spoke.

"I've only been active for almost a week by this point, but I'm about as much as in the dark as he is." Curly spoke.

"Listen; amnesia or not, I'm not too keen about handing over the key to the hibiscus to a couple of scout robots." Jenka spoke, sighing as she went back to making another mixture. "What has happened in the past with soldier robots coming to the island nearly ended in a complete genocide of the Mimiga race. They came by the hundreds, serving this old fool named 'Miakid' or something, and outright slaughtered them to get their hands on that crown. With their backs against the wall, the Mimiga had no choice to those infernal petals."

Something clicked inside the two robot's heads as Jenka said the name 'Miakid'.

She would then turn to look back at the two robots, a stern expression on her face. "Do you know what happens when a Mimiga eats a Hell's Hibiscus? Do you know what goes through them when they do so?"

Quote spoke up, but uneasily. "I... I've seen what happens."

"Really now?" Jenka said, pointing his cane at the male robot. "Tell me then, what do they do?"

"Their mass increases to almost three or four times the size of their original body, and... they become enraged..." Quote said. "I... I was forced to kill two of those things not long after I reactivated. They were going to kill me if I didn't..."

Curly was silent, staring at Quote. She knew he had been basically forced to from his memory banks and that with the second one especially, he felt regret upon doing so, but it still felt wrong to her...

"Correct. I'm impressed." Jenka merely responded, turning back to the tubes and vats. "But you see why that warehouse needs to stay locked. Opening it for any reason would only bring about the same tragedy that happened nearly ten years ago. Those enraged Mimiga tore through those robotic invaders like they were made of nothing more than rotten wood. After that they vanished, next to completely, never to be seen again... that is, unless what I think is to be true that some of them made it down to the surface..."

Both Quote and Curly froze.

"I want to you to think of this." Jenka spoke. "If an enraged Mimiga could tear through scout robots like yourself with little to no resistance... what do you think those Mimiga did to the humans that lived down on the surface, whose bodies are much less durable than your own?"

Curly felt like she was going to be sick, her face starting to become a pale blue as her cybernetic pupils shrank, the horror in realizing what the carnage would have been if those Mimiga getting down there were true. Quote's expression of horror wasn't much better.

"...do you understand the grave danger of the hibiscus now?" Jenka spoke. "Do you?"

Both Quote and Curly would nod without a second's worth of hesitation.

"Good." Jenka said, returning to her work as her expression softened a bit. "I understand you two mean no harm, but I simply cannot give you that key to the warehouse. It's merely too much of a risk."

The room was silent for a bit before Jenka stopped, looking over the dogs in the room.

"Hajime, Kekeru, Mick, Shinobu... oh dear." Jenka spoke. "I hate to bother you both, but could I ask you a favor of you two?"

Quote was about to interject with the idea, but Curly spoke before him.

"Sure! What's wrong?" She asked, clearly trying to find something to distract herself from the bad images still in her head.

"It appears Nene is off having one of her naps somewhere in the Sand Zone again..." Jenka sighed, shaking her head. "I'd go myself, but my old bones aren't what they used to be. Could I bother you two to go find her and bring her back here safely? I worry she's going to get attacked by one of those Skullwalkers or accidentally fall into the lava..."

"No problem!" Curly said, grabbing Quote's hand and heading out the door. "We'll bring her back no problem, bye for now!" With that, Curly disappeared with Quote outside, leaving the elderly woman all to herself.

"...she's such a strange girl..." Jenka muttered to herself before returning to her work.

* * *

"Okay, what was that all about?" Quote asked, wrenching his hand free of Curly's once the two were outside of the small abode.

"Look, I know you're not particularly fond of the idea of doing a fetch-quest in of itself." Curly said, holding her hands up. "But look at this way; maybe she'll change her mind if we try to get her puppy back for her?"

Quote would think for a second, before determining that they really didn't have much of any other choice at that point. "I guess you're right in this situation..."

"See? We go through with this, we'll get into there and destroy those flowers in no time flat!" Curly said, smiling. "You ready?"

"Hold on, one more thing." Quote spoke. "Jenka mentioned that one name during her tyrade... 'Miakid', right? That name sounds so familiar..."

"Same to me too..." Curly said, starting to think.

Quote's face then told her he just had an awful thought. "What if... what if we were part of that robot battalion he sent to the island those ten years ago?"

Curly fell silent, looking to the ground as she pondered the thought, part of the horrors of what Jenka had described starting to come back before she shook her head. "Even if we were sent here by him, that's in the past. What matters right now is doing what we think is the right thing. And right now, it's destroying those flowers. Now, you ready to find that dog?"

Quote was silent for a bit... then looked at Curly, a fierce determination in his eyes as he nodded. "Let's find it." He spoke.

Curly smiled as the two then took off for the harsh dunes of the lower Sand Zone...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 3 End**_


	5. Chapter 4: Tragedy

"Nnnnnnngh... Grrrrrhh..." King growled to himself, starting to lose his cool as he continued to pace back and forth across the floor of Arthur's house, the rest of the group silently waiting for Quote's return with the news the flowers were destroyed. "Nnnnngh, where the hell is he?!"

"He may be a soldier robot but he can't work at light-speed man!" Sue interjected, crossing her arms. "There's nothing we can do right now except for waiting for him to get back.

"And risk those buffoons of the Doctor's getting his hands on the seeds?" King growled.

"What other choice do we have at this point?" Sue said. "Like it or not, the chances are we would die if we tried going to the Sand Zone!"

King growled to himself, muttering some sort of angry grumbling before he stormed out of the house. Sue started to go after him, but Jack had grabbed her arm, shaking his head.

"I think it might be best to just let King blow off steam Sue." Jack spoke. "Trying to talk to him with this kind of anger is not exactly advisable."

Sue would sigh. "I guess..." She spoke, walking back towards the bed in the upper level and flopping down onto it, staring up at the ceiling. Jack would feel a bit of empathy for the poor girl, before turning his attention to Kazuma and Professor Booster, both of which were busy looking onto the computer on the desk. "Any luck on finding that password for the egg?" He asked.

"I've almost got a breakthrough..." Kazuma said, still typing away at the keyboard. "Just give me a few more minutes..."

"Well, as long as you're preoccupied with that..."Booster spoke, moving to a different section of the house and pulling out another small cube, pressing a button as soon a workbench opened up, with what appeared to be some sort of jetpack and tools on it. "I shall resume work from something on my end." The old man would then start working on the jetpack, leaving Jack to his own devices as he thought of what to do next.

He had decided to go to Sue first, seeing as how she had tried to calm King down and had gotten turned away herself. Following the stairs up to the upper bed, he'd have found Sue lying on her back on the bed, holding her Gameboy in her hands as the sound of some sort of boss theme was coming from its low-quality speaker as Sue was pressing buttons on it, clearly trying to keep herself calm in the situation.

"Hey..." Jack said, causing Sue to jump as a death jingle was heard from the Gameboy. Frustrated, Sue turned off the Gameboy and put it back into her bag.

"Stupid fat hammer penguin..." Sue growled, before looking over at Jack. "What do you want?"

"I just thought I'd come to talk a bit." Jack spoke, sitting down next to her on the bed. "Nothin' wrong with that, now is there?"

"I guess not..." Sue sighed. "I just hope that robot boy is able to destroy those flowers before the Doctor gets his hands on them." She'd bury her paws in her face. "This entire week I've been here has been nothing but hell for everyone involved. I don't even know if my mother is alive..."

Jack would set a hand on Sue's back. "It's going to be okay Sue. If the worst comes to wear though, and we're not around when that robot come's back..."

Sue would nod. "Good point. I should leave a note for him attached to the computer about what might be going on." She would then look to him. "By any chance do you have a pencil and paper?"

Jack would nod, handing Sue a notepad and a pencil. The female Mimiga would take the the two objects and start to write down her note, keeping a firm thought flowing through her mind as her hand moved about the paper for the next few minutes. She had just finished her signature when the door burst in again, stomping footsteps heard from downstairs.

"I'm going there right now." King said, accompanied by a sound of what would be a shove and a crash to the floor. Concerned, Sue and Jack would run down the stairs just as the teleporter flashed with King inside it, warping him away.

Professor Booster merely shook his head. "I can't tell if he's attempting to be a fool or attempting to be brave..."

"What happened professor?" Sue had asked the old man.

"King, that's what." Booster answered as Kazuma picked himself up off the floor. "He must've taken off for the Sand Zone after the boy."

"Then we don't have any more time to waste." Jack said, looking to Kazuma. "Did you manage to get that password?"

"I've gotten the password from the databanks." Kazuma said, typing into the computer to relink the teleporter with the Egg Corridor. "I'm going to hatch the dragon right now. It's our only resort we have at this point."

Jack would nod. "Keep yourself safe." Jack said as Kazuma stepped onto the teleporter, warping to the Egg Corridor. "Alright, now Sue?"

"Yeah Jack?" Sue asked.

"We'll need to round up everyone remaining in the village." Jack responded. "We'll get them evacuated on board the dragon."

"Wait, really?" Sue asked.

"We may not be able to save everyone, but we can at least try to save as many as we can." Jack spoke, taking Sue's hand. "Are you with me?"

Sue would nod. "Toroko would want this."

"I shall come along as well." Professor Booster said, finishing something on the jetpack before repacking the cube and stuffing it into his pocket. "No need for you two to do all the handiwork."

Jack would nod. "Then let's ge-" He was interrupted as a loud smashing sound came from outside. "What is san hill was that?!"

"We should go see." Sue said, before the three rushed out the door to see Misery, back to them, merely waving her staff before the last of the Mimiga in the village disappeared.

"And _that_..." She spoke, a smirk on her face. "Should be the last of the little ankle biters."

"You witch!" Sue yelled, grabbing the attention of the female as she whirled around, a flame in her eyes.

"You..." Misery growled. "You've caused me so much pain... you and your damn name, and how long you've managed to keep getting away. Just. Out. Of. My. Grasp." Her eye would visibly be twitching. "I'm gonna-"

"Do nothing of the sort." Booster spoke, stepping forward in front of Sue and Jack.

"Professor, what are you-" Sue started before he interrupted.

"Just run you two." Booster spoke. "I'll handle this."

Jack would nod, taking Sue's hand and dragging her off towards the Assembly Hall higher in the village. Professor Booster would then turn back to Misery. "Now, as you were saying?"

Misery looked like she was about to blow a gasket, she was seething. "I've had enough of you and your bullshit. First you escape from the Plantation, then you help that little robot brat and his fawning circuit-brained girlfriend to try and stop us, and now, you have the _gall_ , nay, the _nerve_ , to stand up to me when I could merely kill you with just a flash of my staff?"

"In a word, yes." Booster responded, holding his position as Misery seemed to grow even angrier.

"I... _LOATHE_ your continued existence." Misery growled. "And I know exactly how to kill you, you little rat. The Labyrinth will decide your fate." She would point her staff at Professor Booster, an enraged look in her eyes. "Now. **_DIE._** " A flashing lightning bolt would fly from her staff, striking Professor Booster and making him disappear. A cruel grin of satisfaction appeared on Misery's face as she turned to where the other two Mimiga ran off to. "And now for you two..."

Sue and Jack would be hiding in the fireplace of the hall, the fire having been put out into smoldering embers as the two Mimigas cowered in the small space, tears starting to form in Sue's eyes as she clamped them shut, whimpering in fear. Jack would comfort the female Mimiga... until the fireplace was blasted open, revealing none other than the witch herself.

"Now..." Misery spoke, a cruel look in her eyes. "Where were we?"

* * *

Quote would tense up as the two scout robots would reach the bottom of the stairs, stepping onto a diagonal ramp lift, it's platform wide and made of stone. Curly would pull the switch at the side, the platform slowly descending down to the volcanic desert's floor. Quote would approach the edge of the platform, staring out over the the dunes and pools of lava, the lavafalls still descending from the ceiling as the embers rose.

"You feeling a bit nervous about this?" Curly said, catching Quote off guard as the blonde female walked up next to him.

"A bit." Quote spoke. "Not exactly comfortable about trudging around an area that could melt us down at any second..."

"Hey, relax." Curly said. "Just stick close, and we'll get through here with no problem." She winked at the end of that statement, and Quote couldn't tell if it was for flattery or she knew something. He got his Polar Star at the ready as Curly drew her Machine Gun, the platform locking in place at a loading dock at the bottom sandfloor. Both Quote and Curly would take a step onto the sand, and Quote would soon get a scope of the entirety of this lower section; massive stone and ruins would be protruding out of the lava itself, forming as it was a series of platforms leading above the desert floor. The red-orange glow would be intense down here, the rising embers at their fullest as they rose into the air. Fireballs themselves would be flung in a slow arcing motion, going over the desert sands as the crashed down into other parts of the lava. Massive chains connected to cogs and winding crankshafts in the ceiling would hang, dipping into the lava at several points through the area.

Quote readied his nerves as he and Curly soon took their steps into the desert sands. Thankfully for them, the heat of the lava and desert wouldn't affect them all that much as they trekked throughout the sweltering area.

"No wonder most of the monsters here are skeletal based." Quote spoke to himself. "I don't think anything could survive in the lava heat down here..."

"Unless you're one of the Armordillos down here." Curly spoke.

"Armor wha-GUAAAH!" Quote yelled as one had surfaced right from underneath him, the gigantic beige shell hiding the green body with a toughened skin. "Ooof..."

"These fellas." Curly said, lightly petting the side of the Armordillo, in which the creature replied with a happy growl. "They're docile for the most part, and only one of the living creatures to survive going into the lava."

"I see..." Quote said, head still dizzy as the Armordillo started trudging along the sand, Curly hopping up on top. "So... how long are we gonna be on this thing for?"

"At least until the Skullwalkers go by." Curly spoke, which gave her a response of a raised eyebrow from Quote.

"Jenka mentioned something about that. What are those?" He asked. He'd get his answer soon enough as a group of four or five of the elongated crocodile skulls on pillar-like bone legs trudged past them, their walking movements rather herky-jerk as they plodded alone.

"Those things." Curly spoke. "Usually highly aggressive to anything else in the Sand Zone. They don't bother with the Armordillos since they know they're not penetrating it's shell or hide with their teeth.."

"How high of a cognitive thought process do those things have, since, y'know..." Quote asked.

"Well, not very high..." Curly said, keeping her Machine Gun at the ready. "But there's one monster down here who's _extremely_ cunning..."

Quote would draw his Polar Star, his fingers twitching a bit as his eyes darted from shadow to shadow...

"Move, now!" Curly yelled, leaping off the Armordillo as Quotedid the same, a large bony creature blasting up through the sand and overthrowing the Armordillo into a nearby lava pool. Quote would roll on the ground before taking aim and firing at the beast, the shots bouncing off it like it was nothing.

"Dust Stalkers. Things are impervious for the most part, and their bones they throw can fracture a human skull." Curly said, aiming her Machine Gun. "Aim for the gem in the center of their ribcages! That'll stop 'em!"

Quote would nod, dodge-rolling out of the way before opening fire and unloading a cylinder of energy bullets into the hulking skeleton's chest. The creature roared before throwing a flurry of bones at Quote. The robot would dodge out of the way before Curly followed up with a barrage of Machine Gun fire right into the creature's chest, shattering the gem and causing it to collapse.

Quote would pant heavily before looking over to Curly, who flashed him a thumbs-up. "You're getting quite the hang of this!"

"Heh... thanks." Quote commented back before looking ahead... and seeing their route coming to a dead end, aside from what appeared to be several massive cogs attatched to some sort of mechanism that stretched to the ceiling. "But how are we gonna get any further? The path runs out here."

"Ah, but that's where the fun begins!" Curly said. "See that mechanism?"

"Yeah?" Quote asked, looking at the large cog wall. "What about it?"

"Help me get it set into place." The female scout replied, rushing over and trying to push one of the larger cogs into place. Quote would shrug before he walked over an helped Curly, slowly but surely the two pushing the cog would lock it into place as the rest of the ancient gears started to creak and groan. The chains dipped in the lava started to move as they started to raise up towards the ceiling. Quote was initially confused... before his jaw dropped upon seeing the chains lifting up massive slabs of earth from the molten rock, the terrain glowing red hot from its lava bath. Along with it were several stone bridges lowering from the ceiling, connecting the sandy area with the gigantic earth slab.

Curly merely grinned. "Impressed?" She said, starting to walk across the hot stone bridge to the island. "C'mon, that dog isn't gonna find itself!" Quote would hesitate before starting to walk along the stone bridge to the risen earth slab. The ground was still giving off a bit of an orange glow from the two robots traversed the area of risen rock... that is, until a reading came up on Quote's end.

 ** _/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY_**

Quote was caught off guard. It had been quite a fair amount of time since he had gotten the last one he had gotten back in the Bushlands, so he wasn't really expecting there to be another one nearby by this point. His eyes darted as he looked around to try and find where the Life Capsule would be... as well as getting a confused look from Curly.

"Uhhh, Quote?" Curly asked, putting a hand on her hip as she looked at the male scout confusedly. "Your sensors over there okay buddy?"

"Hold on..." Quote spoke, still looking around... before noticing the abandoned metal house on the earthen slab the two were walking, just a bit aways from them. And of course, Quote would be picking up the Life Capsule detection from in there. Without another word, Quote would be heading off in the direction of the house, much to the annoyance of Curly.

"Where are you going?" She asked, giving pursuit after the robot as he soon disappeared into the abandoned house.

The house was dark. _Really_ dark, with small drips of molten rock coming from the ceiling. Even when Quote had activated his optic's lighting function, it was still pitch-black inside the area. He sighed to himself. _'Guess this is just gonna be a blind stumble...'_ He thought to himself as he started looking through the inside of the house, that is, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Quote, are you seriously okay?" Curly asked. "You're kinda worrying me with this whole walking off episode you're having."

"Huh?" Quote asked. "I'm fine Curly. My scanner just picked up something."

"What?" Curly asked.

"Could it be this you are looking for, soldier boy?" A familiar reptilian voice said, causing the two of them to freeze up as a shiver ran down their mechanical spines. Quote would look over to see a familiar green hooded figure emerging from the shadows, toothy grin and all, with the Life Capsule in hand.

"How did..." Quote started, before Cthulhu cut him off.

"This is my abode." Cthulhu spoke, still showing that toothy grin. "Do you not like it?"

"But I thought..." Quote spoke, now completely confused.

"I have many abodes, soldier." He spoke, before seeing Curly. "And I see you've reunited with your blonde pal as well."

"Blonde pal?" Curly asked, before looking at Quote. "Quote what the hell is he talking about?"

"Curly, your guess is as good as mine." Quote said, shuddering before looking back to the figure. "Can I just have that please?"

"You want it?" Cthulhu asked, holding out the Life Capsule in front of Quote. The boy robot would reach out for it before Cthulhu pulled it away. "It's yours my friend, so long as you can answer my riddle."

"Oh joy, limerick puzzles, my favorite." Curly sarcastically commented. Cthulhu seemed to ignore her comment as he started to speak again.

 _"Eye of red, eye of white,_

 _Filled with hatred is his plight,_

 _Saw his own kingdom burn,_

 _Misses home and can't return._

 _Sealed by his sister in the sky,_

 _After the kingdom's end was nigh,_

 _She couldn't bring to end his life,_

 _Needs two others to end this strife._

 _Created the Crown from his begging niece,_

 _Cursed her for until his heart shall cease,_

 _Eye of Red, eye of white,_

 _Sealed away to await his smite._

 _What am I?"_

Cthulhu had finished the limerick only to observe a completely baffled Quote and Curly. Both robots would be trying to make sense of the riddle before Quote dragged Curly to the side.

"You have any idea what he means by that?" Quote asked.

Curly shook her head. "There's nothing coming up in my memories or mind about anything with a red eye and a white eye."

"Not even anything about any other part of the rhyme?" Quote asked.

"Well..." Curly spoke, thinking a bit. "Wait... didn't Jenka mention something about Misery having an uncle?"

"I do remember that..." Quote spoke, thinking. " 'Created the Crown from his begging niece...' maybe the niece is Misery?"

"Maybe..." Curly thought, before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Wait... remember what that witch said right before we got attacked by that gigantic mech? 'So long as I'm attached to this damn Crown's curse...' meaning it was Misery's uncle who made the Crown!"

"So by elimination... Jenka would be the sister?" Quote asked.

"It's the only shot we have at this point." Curly spoke, before looking back to the hooded lizardman.

"So..." Cthulhu spoke. "You have an answer?"

Curly would nod. "Is it Jenka's brother?" She asked.

Cthulhu was silent for a bit... then he grinned. "I was looking for more of a name... but you are correct nonetheless." He spoke, tossing the Life Capsule to Quote, who caught it after a bit of fumbling. "Remember that riddle. It would serve you well to do so..." He spoke, before reverting back into the shadows again.

Curly was... unnerved after the whole ordeal. "Let's get out of this thing."

"Agreed." Quote spoke as he just finished the process of the Life Capsule integration, the two leaving the house without a moment's hesitation.

"Alright then..." Quote spoke. "So, we keep looking?"

Curly nodded, before the two went deeper into the volcanic desert...

* * *

It wasn't long before the two seemed to come across another large chain mechanism again as they neared the end of the Sand Zone. Across from them in the large expanse of lava was what appeared to be the roof of some sort sitting in the lava, four chains around unspecified points where the ground would be. Sleeping in the middle of the roof-like structure would be a beige-furred puppy, a brown patch of fur over its left eye and brown furred ears.

"Well, looks like that's our missing dog." Quote said. "Let's get this thing raised and grab it before we have more trouble."

Curly nodded in response as the two walked over to the mechanism, beginning to push the large cog into place. However, they soon stopped when Quote saw a familiar rectangular figure out of the corner of his eye...

"Shoot, we've got company." Quote said. "We need to hide."

Curly would nod, the two abandoning the large mechanism and ducking behind a large stalagmite just as Balrog and Misery landed down near the mechanism.

"So, this is it?" Misery spoke, looking out over the sunken area of the roof. "Hmph, seems mother tried to release the place back into the lava to prevent the flowers from being obtained." A small cruel grin appeared on her face. "Not like that's stopping us, however. Now, raise it."

"Right." Balrog said, using his massive stature to push the cog into place as the mechanism spurred to life, the large warehouse-like object rising out of the fiery sea as the molten rock dripped off its sides. Larger stone scaffolds lined the outside of the building as it clanked to a stop, a stone bridge leading to the entrance of the warehouse.

Misery smiled. "Right where it would be." She spoke, before looking at Balrog. "Now then, all we need to do is get the key from my mother and notify the Doctor, and everything should be set into place."

"Ehm, about that." Balrog spoke. "Auntie Jenka apparently... lost the key."

Misery deadpanned. "What."

"Well..." Balrog spoke. "I went to Jenka's earlier to get the key and she had said she had lost it in the Sand Zone a while back! It could be anywhere in the desert, or even worse, it's in the lava!"

Misery would growl, pinching her forehead. "Balrog you... you fucking idiot..." She cursed under her breath. "Don't you realize she might have lied to you?!"

"She did?" Balrog asked, confused.

"Look at it this way." Misery spoke. "If we're serving under a new master, of course she wouldn't allow us to get the key to the Warehouse because she'd be actively against the idea of the new master succeeding! She's probably got the key hidden back at her house somewhere!"

Balrog would stand there for a second... then the dots would connect and he'd stamp the ground in anger. "Why that!"

"Now go back there, and find that key!" Misery growled. "I'll get the Doctor for the grand opening of the Warehouse." Balrog nodded before he lept up, his small nub arms turning into wings as he flew off back in the direction of Jenka's house. Misery would then warp out of the area as Quote and Curly came out from behind the stalagmite.

"This is bad!" Curly spoke. "One of us needs to go help Jenka!"

"I'll focus on getting Nene," Quote said, taking off up the bridge to the Warehouse. "You get back and help Jenka before that soap box does too much damage!"

Curly would nod, turning and making a break for it back to Jenka's house as Quote ascended the stone scaffolding with little hesitation, soon reaching the top and finding the sleeping puppy on top. Keeping quiet, he soon knelled down and lightly petted the canine's head. Slowly it woke up, before looking up at Quote with its sleepy eyes and making light dog sounds. Quote would smile, soon hoisting the dog up with him and having it hold onto his back. Now he just needed to find his way back to the other end of the Sand Zone...

Thankfully for him, he'd have a lucky bread as a large group of green-feathered birds would be flying low over the Warehouse off in the direction of Jenka's house. He lept up and grabbed one by the legs, soon heading straight for Jenka's house...

* * *

The elderly woman would be busy with another mixture of Life Pot siphoning through the tubes of the setup before Balrog burst through the door again, this time without his cheery catchphrase as he glared at Jenka.

"Where is it Auntie?" He said.

"Where's what now?" Jenka merely replied, not turning around.

"The key to the warehouse!" Balrog yelled, angrily stamping his foot. "I know you have it auntie, you lied to me! Now hand it over!"

Jenka would sigh. "Balrog..." She spoke, turning to face the large box-thing. "I've already told you I don't have the key. What more do I need to tell you than that?"

"You're lying, I know it!" Balrog said, slamming into a wall as several large pots and ornaments fell to the ground, liquid splattering everywhere, the box then looking through the rubble. "I'll find that key even if I bring the house down!"

"Balrog, I really don't see that necessary..." Jenka spoke, before Balrog smashed into another wall, knocking down another set of pots and ornaments.

"It'll be necessary until I find that key!" Balrog said, looking to take a running charge into the massive brewing setup the Jenka was standing in front of. He would then charge, as if he was about to flatten Jenka... before being struck in the back by a searing shot, stumbling forward and faceplanting onto the ground. He soon got up and looked behind him to see none other than a Curly Brace, panting heavily and holding a different gun, grey in color with blue accents, a green orb seated at the back of the barrel. Her Machine Gun rested on her hip holster as she glared daggers at the box-thing.

"Alright, now unless you wanna leave like swiss cheese, I suggest you back off." Curly growled, aiming the gun straight at the face of the hulking beast. "Grade-A stock Nemesis. Able to tear through most solids with ease and deals a hell of a lot of damage. And it stings. _Painfully._ " Her vision narrowed as she stared down the creature. "Now _back. Off._ "

Balrog would start to move away from Jenka... until Quote had ran through the door, slipping on some of the spilled liquid and crashing into Curly, both robots collapsing to the floor in a heap as the dog still asleep on top of the pile. Soon enough the dog would slowly awake as it looked around, a key around it's neck...

"Ah, there it is!" Balrog said, waddling over and grabbing the key off the dog's collar, the dog whimpering in response. "I'll be taking that, thank you!"

"No, wait!" Curly said as Balrog took off out of the residence, the two scrambling for the entrance. "Shoot, he's gone!"

"The Warehouse." Quote said, his fists clenching. "We've got to get after him before he gets those flowers!"

"Wait you two!" Jenka yelled, the two robots looking to her as she held two small jars in her hands. "These Life Pots. Take them. If they are true about this new master, he wields an artifact of grave power, and is _not_ to be underestimated."

Quote and Curly would nod. "We won't let them get away with this!" Curly said before she and Quote took off for the Warehouse. Soon enough another flock of the green birds would be flying towards the Warehouse, and Curly got an idea.

"Grab onto the talons of those Terrorkeets!" Curly yelled, jumping up and grabbing the legs of the massive bird. Quote nodded before doing the same, holding on for dear life as the massive birds flew off in the direction of the Warehouse.

"I forgot to mention!" Jenka yelled to the two robots from the entrance to her house. "Those Life Pots won't work on an enraged Mimiga!"

Quote would note the detail as the gigantic birds flew past several lava geysers spewing up from the pools, the robots barely managing to dodge on their avian rides, Stalactites were the worst of the obstacles, several of the Terrorkeets crashing into them as they closed in on the Warehouse.

"Our drop zone's comin' up Quote!" Curly yelled to the male robot. "You ready?!"

Quote would nod, readying to release his grip as the roof of the Warehouse came into view...

"NOW!" Curly yelled as she released her grip, as did Quote before they dropped, landing feet-first on the top of the Warehouse as their legs servos shook inside their bodies.

"Oooof..." Quote spoke. "That one might have been a bit too hard for my legs..."

"We can worry about that later!" Curly said, rushing for the edge of the roof near the entrance. "We'll deal with the Doctor first then... who the hell is that?"

"Huh?" Quote asked, rushing to the edge to see a cloaked Mimiga with a sword rushing towards the entrance to the Warehouse. He wouldn't click immediately in Quote's head, but upon seeing that scar on his muzzle...

"King?!" Quote said in shock as the Mimiga ran into the open Warehouse entrance. Not long after that Quote and Curly dropped down to in front of the entrance.

"Oh no..." Quote said.

"What's wrong?" Curly asked.

"King's gonna be a goner, that's what! We need to get moving!" Quote said, drawing his Polar Star.

Curly nodded in response, drawing her Machine Gun as the two ran into the Warehouse...

* * *

"Well, most amusing..." The familiar shape of the Doctor said, standing at the far end of the Warehouse as he looked over the rest of the space, sparsely scattered with the blood-red hibiscus themselves. "I would have though there would have been more."

"It won't matter, mi'lord." Misery said, bowing. "We have more than enough seeds to start the harvest in the Plantation. Rest assured that with what we have, we'll even have extras should we find more Mimiga."

"Well, save those extras." The Doctor spoke, fixing his glasses. "I wish to examine them for... research purposes."

"Understood, mi'lord." Misery spoke.

"As a test however..." The Doctor spoke. "We should see how these hibiscus have their... arcane properties."

"Shall I offer myself up as a test subject?" Misery asked.

"Of course not. You're far more useful than to be used as merely a guinea pig for an experiment like this." The man spoke, starting to smile wide. "Let us use a Mimiga instead."

Misery grinned widely. "Excellent idea, mi'lord!" Misery spoke, soon waving her staff as a familiar small green-vested Mimiga materialized, faceplanting onto the ground.

"Oww..." Toroko whimpered, getting up before looking around. "Where..."

"Hey." Misery said, causing Toroko to turn around to see the witch was literally within an inch of her face, her red eyes staring into Troko's black ones. "Boo."

"E-eep!" Toroko squealed, lumping and running away for the exit... had not Balrog dropped down and knocked her away.

"Ay, why are you running?" Balrog spoke, blocking the Mimiga's path.

"Careful you idiot!" Misery hissed. "We're using her to test one of the Hell's Hibiscus, not as a entrant for a pancake contest! Now make her eat one of them!"

Balrog would merely waddle over to Toroko, grabbing one of the hibiscus, before trying to stuff it into her mouth. The Mimiga would panic, trying to hold back the box-thing's fin arm with merely her own tiny arms.

"P-please! Don't!" She screamed, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Just eat it!" Balrog countered.

"N-NO!" Toroko screamed, now fully crying. "I-I don't wanna die!"

"Just eat the flower!" Misery hissed. This would persist for a few more minutes until Toroko's strength weakened, her starting to pant before Balrog's fin would stuff the flowers into her mouth.

"STOP!" A voice yelled as King burst into the Warehouse, sword primed before he slashed it straight into Balrog's back. The strike alone was more than enough to cause the massive box-thing to smoke and spaz out before retreating through the ceiling. The Mimiga would then rushed for the other fallen Mimiga. "Toroko, are you okay? Speak to me! Say anything!"

But King was already too late. As soon as the female Mimiga opened her eyes his hopes had been dashed; they were red.

"K-King...?" Toroko moaned in pain. "H-Hurts... It hurts..."

King would then look onwards at the Doctor and Misery, his rage growing once again. "You!" He yelled, pointing his sword directly at the Doctor. "You bastard!"

"Well, I prefer the name, 'Master' or just simply, 'The Doctor', but it won't matter in the long run for you... I must say, it's a pleasure to finally meet this 'leader' of these creatures, if you will." The Doctor said, merely leaning forward as if he was examining him. "Tell me, pray tell... what do you intend to do with that pitiful blade of yours?"

"I'll bathe this Blade in your blood!" King roared as he charged forward, the sharp metal ready for striking.

"Allow me, mi'lord." Misery spoke, before firing a lightning spell at the Mimiga. However she was soon caught off guard when he had dodged the strike with relative ease, soon slashing across her midriff with the blade itself. Misery growled in pain before warping a few feet away, throwing a series of lightning blasts at King. The Mimiga would then charge at her again, the sword striking away the projectiles before the sharp metal embedded itself into Misery's shoulder blade. The witch yelled in pain as she warped away again before collapsing onto the floor from her own pain.

"H-how?!" Misery growled, holding her wounded shoulder. "How the hell are you so strong without having eaten the hibiscus?!"

"Hmph, the joke's on you!" King growled, lunging for the Doctor, blade primed for striking. "I have already consumed one!"

The Doctor merely fixed his glasses before an electrical blast shot from the Crown, striking King square in the chest and knocking him to the far end of the Warehouse. "...hmph, interesting. He claims to have eaten the flowers, yet he has not become frenzied... This may require some tests..." His train of thought was then interrupted as the two scout robots burst into the Warehouse, weapons drawn and aimed at the Doctor. Curly in particular looking rather seething, with Quote keeping his anger reserved as he kept his sights on the man.

"Ah... and you two must be the little resistance my servants have been telling me about. Two soldiers from the surface... hmph, no wonder they have been struggling against opponents such as yourself." The Doctor would then give a smug grin as he held his hands out to the side. "However, I see no need to dirty my own hands at this situation. My new assistant will take care of this, won't you?" With that, he'd disappear right as Quote had fired a shot right at his head, the energy bullet striking the wall behind where he was standing.

"Damn it!" Curly yelled, before rushing over to the collapsed Toroko on the ground. "Hey, hey, are you alright?"

"R... r..." Toroko tried to sputter out.

"What?" Curly spoke.

"R-run!" Toroko cried, looking up at Curly with the blood-red eyes as tears were streaming down her face. Curly backed off as the hibiscus started to take effect, the Mimiga starting to grow to nearly four times its size as its eyes became blood-red, letting out a guttural roar at the two bots.

"Curly, you tend to King!" Quote said, getting in front of the female robot, his Polar Star aimed directly at the frenzied creature.

"But-"

"I'll handle Toroko, just do it!" Quote said, keeping his pistol locked on to the enraged Mimiga as she lept up into the air, throwing a block of stone at Quote. The robot would dodge-roll out of the way of the block crashing to the ground. The robot gritted his teeth as he unloaded a cylinder of energy bullets into the frenzied Toroko's back. The beast roared in response as it lunged at Quote again, holding two blocks in her hands to crush him. Quote just barely managed to dodge-roll out of the way in time before the weight of the frenzied creature and the blocks crashed down where he was moments ago, cracking the floor under its weight. The Mimiga growled, lumbering towards Quote as the scout robot unloaded another cylinder of energy bullets into the chest of the beast, but that seemed to do no more than slightly hurting it and causing it to grow angry. The Mimiga lunged for Quote... before being blasted to the side, just narrowly missing being stomped on. Quote would look over to see Curly, Nemesis in her hand, having fired a shot to save him. Quote nodded before turning his attention back to the Mimiga, now just getting back up from the Nemesis shot as it stamped the floor in rage.

A large block would drop from the ceiling, landing in the Mimiga's giant paws as it was ready to throw the massive brick at Quote. The robot boy had a lightbulb go off as he holstered his Polar Star and pulled out the Missile Launcher, taking aim at the massive block on the Mimiga's paw, and the pulled the trigger.

He had forgotten he had the Missile Launcher do a burst fire.

The Missiles would careen towards the block, bursting it apart in the frenzied cretaure's hands as the other Missiles collided with the beast itself, blowing it backwards onto the ground. It laid there for a minute before it got back up, rage strewn across its face as it lunged for Quote, trapping him under its massive hulk as it gnashed its teeth at him, trying to make a meal of his metal face. Quote would struggle under the weight of the frenzied Mimiga, desperately trying to reach for one of his guns as the gnashing teeth grew closer...

...then was in for a shock when the beast was thrown to the side off of him, the robot boy looking over to see Curly, panting heavily with her Nemesis still smoking from the recently fired shot. Quote would shakily get to his feet as the Mimiga started to shrink back to the smaller form she had. Quote scrambled over to the poor girl, picking her up in his arms. "T...Toroko?" He hesitantly asked.

"M... M-Mister robot?" Toroko managed to choke out, a thin trail of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. "I-is that you?"

"C'mon Toroko, stay with me..." Quote said, trying to hold back the wetness starting to well up in his eyes.

"I... I c-can't f-f-feel my... my b-body..." Toroko choked out, her limbs starting to go limp as tears started to fall from her eyes. "Hurts... i-i-it hurts..."

"T...Toroko?" Quote spoke.

A small sad smile would appear on Toroko's face. "A-at least... I-I get t... to see... b-big... b-b-brother... a... a... ag... gain..." But with that, the poor Mimiga drew her last breath, the light in her eyes fading as her entire body went limp in Quote's arms. Quote would shed a tear as he took his fingers and closed the Mimiga's eyelids for her, gently setting her down onto the bed of red flowers; the ones that took her life.

"Nnnnggh..." Another voice would say as Quote looked over, seeing King struggling to get up.

"King..." Quote said, rushing over to him and kneeling next to the fallen Mimiga. "A-are you..."

King merely shook his head. "That blast... hit me too good..." He panted, moving his paw to show the charred fur and flesh that the lightning blast struck on him. Curly visibly winced at the sight as King looked back up to Quote, handing him his sword. "I-I'm not gonna make it kid... take my blade... and give that bastard hell, would ya?"

Quote would somberly nod, taking the sword from the Mimiga as a small sad smile appeared on King's face.

"The whole island's countin' on you kid..." He choked out. "D-don't let 'em down..."

Quote nodded one last time before the light left King's eyes, meaning his life had left him. Sheathing the sword to his side, Quote picked up the Mimiga and carried him over to next to Toroko, lying him down next to the smaller Mimiga. It wasn't a proper burial, but to Quote, it was at least the best way to at least honor their deaths for the time being.

Curly was still silent, just merely watch Quote with sad eyes as he laid King next to Toroko. "So..." She finally spoke. "What do we do now?"

Quote said nothing as he thought over what else they _could_ do left. Destroying the hibiscus ended in a catastrophic failure, the Doctor had managed to escape without so much as even a scratch on him, and now Toroko, the Mimiga he had set out to rescue from the man... no, the _monster_... was now dead, along with King. To Quote, he's literally hit a dead-end in terms of any sort of progression on what he'd do with Curly...

Sue... the thought of her reaction to find out her friend Toroko, her _only_ friend she's had in the village ever since she arrived on the island... it hurt Quote. Sue would be devastated...

And then Quote had thought of a horrible realization. What was going on at the village while everyone was gone? Were they going to be okay? What if...

"...Quote?" Curly asked again, concerned about his lack of response to her.

Quote's fists would tighten as he looked out the entrance to the Warehouse. "We find the Doctor." He spoke, cocking the Polar Star. "And we don't rest until he's dead."

Curly's optics would flash with a new found determination as she brandished her Machine Gun, the two starting to walk out of the Warehouse with a newfound determination inside them, one that wasn't there before.

But whatever their plan was, it came crashing down in about two seconds after leaving the Warehouse.

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"

Without any time to react Quote and Curly were caught next to a harsh explosion, throwing the two into a sprawl on the ground as they lost consciousness. Balrog would be leaping with glee from the center of the blast zone, clearly the cause of it.

"It worked! I can't believe it worked!" The box-thing said as Misery warped in.

"Well, about time you did something useful for once." Misery commented, looking at the two unconscious scout robots. "And to think these little tin cans are being a massive thorn in our side... then again, maybe we should have expected this, considering who they are."

"So what's the plan? We throw them into the lava right now while they're unconscious?" Balrog said, looking to Misery.

"..." Misery seemed to be in deep thought, thinking something over before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Actually... I have a better idea."

"Eh?"

"I'll send them to the Labyrinth." Misery spoke, smirking. "It'll be perfect."

"How so?" Balrog asked, confused.

"Look at it this way." Misery said, her grin growing. "If they can't find the way forward, they'll be stuck down there until their circuits short out and they die. However..." She winked. "If they manage to get out, this could be our lucky break."

"Well... I guess it could work?" Balrog asked, confused.

"And just to make sure of it, I want you to go along with them." Misery spoke, the gem on her staff starting to glow red.

"Wait wha-" Was all Balrog said before Misery warped all three of them to the Labyrinth. She smiled at her handiwork, soon warping back to the Doctor's lair to give him the news...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 4 End**_


	6. Chapter 5: The Pits

Pain. Cold. Agony. Those were the only feelings that were going through Quote's mind right now as he laid on the ground in whatever area he was at. Slowly but surely, he started to get back to his feet, struggling to keep his balance as he held his head in pain.

"Aggghh..." He moaned, opening up his eyes... only to find out he could only see out of one eye. His other optic had been severely damaged, now just merely dangling out of its metal socket, the casing of it crushed and its cover completely shattered, only sputtering of a few sparks and every now and again. "C-Curly? Are you alright?"

No response.

"...Curly?"

Again, silence. Quote would soon look around the area to find he was once again alone, now stuck in a large pit in a massive stone chamber. Above him girders and stone platforms would stretch between the walls in an erratic fashion. In front of the robot boy would be a large metal door, seemingly rusted and aged for some time. Quote would think, reaching for the Missile Launcher on his back as he took aim at the door, and opened fire.

...the Missile would hit the door and detonate, and not even leave so much as a dent in it. Quote sighed, merely slumping his synthetic shoulders. Seems like he wasn't gonna be getting out that way immediately. He'd scan wound the bottom of the stone chamber, keeping the door in mind as he looked around. There was a small pool of water, and then the scout robot would notice the Polar Star lying on the ground not far from him. He sighed in relief, walking over and picking the gun up, inspecting it a bit. Aside from a few scrapes on the casing, it was still in functional order. If he had lost it...

He holstered the Polar Star, turning his attention back to the gigantic vertical pit he was in, continuing to look over the area with the good eye scanner... until he picked up a reading of electrical presence near the top of the room. Thinking there might be something up there to help him, he slowly began his ascent up towards the top of the chamber...

* * *

"...nnnghh..." Curly moaned, tossing and turning in pain. "Owww..."

"Oh, Doctor Gero, she's waking up!" A female voice said, soon followed by a male voice.

"Ah, yes, well, that's good to know." A male voice said. "Is she in stable condition?"

"I-I think so..." The female voice responded, before Curly opened her optics to see where she was; a small stone room, lying on one of two beds as a couple of cabinets were lined against another wall. A bit away from her appeared to be a frog wearing a doctor's coat, and near her would be another frog with a nurse's hat on. "O-oh! She's awake!"

"Wh-where am I?" Curly asked, feeling a sharp pain in her stomach as she clutched it in pain. "Ack!"

"P-please, miss, rest yourself!" The nurse frog said, laying Curly back down. "That fall you took in the Labyrinth really hurt you badly, an-"

"W-wait." Curly said, her confidence shrinking. "D-did you say Labyrinth?"

"Yes?" The nurse frog said, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?"

Curly's inner confidence would shatter as she flopped back down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, hopes dashed hard against the wall. Tears would start to form in her eyes as she stared at the dark rocky ceiling. The one plan she had made with Quote, now hopelessly shattered and stranded down in the dumps of the island.

And then a gut-wrench would come to her as she realized; where was Quote? Wasn't he with her when she had left the Warehouse back in the Sand Zone? Why wasn't he with her now? Was... was he dead?

The thoughts continued to plague her mind and only make her more and more worried about the entire situation. How were they gonna get out of this, if Quote was even still alive?

...was it even possible for her to go on at this point?

" _...no. I can't be like this..._ " Curly thought in her mind, still looking up at the ceiling. " _The kids wouldn't want me to be like this... and neither would Quote... even if he's..._ "

Soon making up her mind, she'd get up from the bed, ignoring the pain coursing from her stomach. Maybe if she looked around for a bit, it'd help her take her mind off things.

"M-Miss!" The frog nurse said. "I-I don't think you're in a stable condition t-"

"I'll be fine, thank you." Curly responded. "I at least appreciate the hospitality given to me for my time here."

"B-bu-"

"Nurse Hasumi, let her go." The frog doctor said. "If she feels she can be okay, it's best to let her go than to keep her here against her will."

Nurse Hasumi would merely nod. "Y-yes Dr. Gero." She spoke, before looking back to the female scout robot. "Y-your weapons we found you with are right beside the door for you."

"Thank you." Curly thanked, grabbing her Machine Gun and holstering her Nemesis, before opening the door to the room and stepping out into the corridor of the Labyrinth. The air smelled foul, of rotting plants and sewage water, as she'd soon see several large pipes running through the ceiling of the corridor, a few leaking a fair bit and puddling in the points of the Labyrinth. Despite the noxious smell enough to floor any sane person, Curly thankfully was a robot and could just turn off her scent sensors. The foul air would still be enough to stunt her a bit though, as she'd cough and hack a bit from the initial burst before she got the idea to activate her Air Tank.

Reaching under the back of her top, she'd hit a button that soon dispensed a large air bubble around her. With her air shield up and running, she'd begin her trek forward into the tunnels of the Labyrinth, keeping her ears open in case something was lurking in the shadows...

...and she'd soon hear a scuttling as what appeared to be what she could only interpret as a human-sized cockroach scampered towards her at an alarming rate. She squeaked, firing a gun burst at creature at the shots collided, the creature now not moving. A wave of nausea flowed through her a bit as she ran from the corpse of the massive cockroach, not wanting to see it again, not even caring about which directing she was running to before she collapsed at the side of a building, panting heavily as she leaned on it. She did NOT want to experience whatever the heck that thing was again...

Upon realizing where she was, she decided to look around to see where exactly she was at, before looking around the corner and seeing the large flashing neon sign with words on it.

" 'The Pits'..." Curly read off the sign, before signing. "Well, at least they have a sense of humor down here..." She'd steel her nerves before walking into the building.

What was inside appeared to be some sort of cantina of sorts, occupied by several more of the cockroach creatures and what appeared to be several other recon robots like herself, but would be much more mechanical and plain in appearance; if anything Curly stuck out like a sore thumb compared to them. Along with them would appear to be several small purple-skinned Critters sleeping in various corners of the cantina. Off in one corner of the cantina would be a group of the cockroach creatures, acting as a band and playing various instruments in coordination as they set the 'atmosphere' of the place. At the central bar of the cantina was another of the cockroach creatures, this one apparently wearing a visor of some kind as it was cleaning a glass, an assortment of beverages lining the center pillar behind it as another purple Critter was sleeping on the countertop beside it.

Curly would hesitantly walk forward, taking a seat at the bar as she set her Machine Gun on the counter. "H-hello?"

The bartender cockroach would look up. "Ah, a new customer! Haven't seen your face around the Labyrinth before."

"I'm... a 'new arrival' I guess you could say." Curly spoke, not too keen on making eye contact with the creature.

"Well, welcome aboard for the long haul, kid." The cockroach said. "You'll probably be down here for a while. Name's Chaba, and I run this place. You?"

"Curly Brace, sir..." The female scout spoke, a bit hesitant, until she felt a metal hand on her shoulder...

* * *

Quote would struggle as his arms hoisted his metallic frame up onto the higher platform, seeing a computer terminal in front of him in the small alcove near the top of the room. It had been a long climb up to the top of the room, and for Quote, he was not too keen of falling back down to the bottom of the room. He'd approach the terminal and start typing into it, soon seeing a prompt pop up on it.

 ** _/OPEN DOOR? Y/N_**

As he didn't have any other choice in the matter at the moment, Quote would hit the 'Y' option on the keyboard, hearing a loud creaking sound coming from the bottom of the room.

"Guess that door's opened..." Quote said, dropping down onto a lower platform as the girder it was on creaked under his weight... then snapped as the platform and the scout robot took a tumble to below. Quote would hit the ground hard as a new reading came up.

 _ **/WARNING! LEFT ARM DAMAGE AT 57.9%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEMS STARTING...**_

 _ **/WARNING! RIGHT LEG DAMAGE AT 21.4% AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEMS STARTING...**_

Quote groaned in pain as he held his arm, slowly getting to his feet as he stumbled forward out of the massive vertical room into the first of the tighter corridors. Knowing the Polar Star would be harder to use with only one arm, he holstered the cobalt gun and unsheathed the Blade he had been gifted from King before his last breath, keeping the sword in front of him for defense as he stumbled through the dark caverns. The stone floor appeared to be interlaced with metal piping a bit, and what appeared to be a chain-link fence grating was hastily put in front of the path he was going. Taking a swing with the newly acquired Blade, the fencing fell to no problem at all as he limped forward through the dark caves. Curly had to be in around her somewhere...

It then occurred to him. Why hadn't he activated the light in his good eye yet? Taking a second to switch it on, Quote now had a steady light beam coming from his good eye as he continued to move forward through the stone corridor. Soon enough a reading would come up.

 ** _/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY._**

Quote let out a disgruntled sigh. At this point these damn things were actively trying to put him into harm's way with how they were placed. He'd look around the area before proceeding into the next corridor, picking up a faint red glow coming from a hole in the corridor. Moving faster, he soon had bright lights shining from behind him as he looked behind him. Apparently one of the old excavation tools lying around in the Labyrinth reactivated...

...and now it was headed straight for the robot boy.

Now hobbling faster, Quote would dive into the hole as the massive drill cylinder went over it, just barely clipping the boy's body as it passed overhead into the dark depths below. Quote grumbled something angrily under his breath, shoving the Life Capsule into his arm before he crawled out of the hole, ducking into the next passage as he continued through the corridors of the Labyrinth, keeping his stumbling up as soon he'd be seeing a neon light. Stumbling closer to the light, he'd see it'd spell out a name.

" 'The Pits'..." Quote muttered to himself, sheathing the Blade. "Well, maybe someone in here can find something to help..." He would then enter into the building, soon finding himself in some sort of cantina. His good eye would scan about the area, seeing several large cockroach-like creatures, purple-colored Critters, a couple robots, something blonde, an- wait, blonde?

"Curly...?" Quote questioned to himself, slowly walking forward before setting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. The figure would turn...

"Quote!" Curly would cry, getting up from her seat and hugging him tightly. "Oh my god, Quote... I thought you..."

"It's okay Curly..." Quote said, returning the hug. "I'm alive."

"I'm glad you are..." Curly said, releasing the hug, only to be shocked by the boy's dangling robotic eye. "Oh my god, what happened to you?"

"What, this?" Quote said, holding up his broken eye. "Think it got dislodged when I crashed down into this place."

"Oof, rough landings." Chaba commented. "I know the feeling kid." Quote would look to the side before looking back to Curly.

"You manage to find a way out of here?" Quote asked.

Curly shook her head. "Sadly no. I've barely managed to get any information since I've woken up."

"You two lookin' to get outta the Labyrinth?" Chaba asked, his antennae twitching a bit. "What's the big rush?"

Curly would look over to Chaba, putting her hands on the counter. "Right now outside this Labyrinth there's a megalomaniac doctor planning on completely decimating the surface world with an army of frenzied Mimiga, and if we don't get out of here and stop him, things are gonna get ugly out there real fast, you catch my drift?"

Chaba would stare at her in silence for a second... then responded. "Ah, so you're like the robots from that war ago. After that Crown I see."

"More like after the person who's using it." Curly spoke. "So where can we exit?"

"Well... there's supposedly an exit out near the ceremonial Boulder Chamber..." Chaba spoke, rubbing one of his arms under his mandibles. "Though, that Boulder early weighs about ten tons or so. Not even a hundred Gaudi could get that thing to move!"

"Gaudi?" Quote asked, taking a seat at the counter.

"Y'know, the thing I am? And what about 60% of the other patrons here are?" Chaba answered.

"Oh, sorry." Quote said, before asking another question. "But what if we were to get the Boulder to move?"

"Well, you'd be takin' a straight shot for the heart of the Labyrinth." Chaba spoke, now starting to clean another glass. "Connected to that's an entrance straight to the Island's main water artery, and I _suppose_ that'd get you two outta here. It's speculation at this point since most of the folks here haven't really seen past the Boulder since, well, no one's been able to move it."

"Meaning... we might just have a way back to the other parts of the Island!" Curly spoke.

"Supposedly." Chaba said, before looking to Quote. "Could possibly fix up your eye for ya pal. Ya mind if I take a look at it?"

"Uhh... sure?" Quote said, disconnecting his bad eye and giving it to Chaba to look at.

"Hmmm..." The Gaudi said, looking over the eye. "Sheesh, whoever built you certainly spared no expense."

"What do you mean?" Curly asked.

"Lemme put it this way." Chaba spoke. "I've only got _one_ other eye like this in stock. Your friend should be lucky it's the one he needs." He said, ducking below the counter and rummaging around a bit, before popping back up with an optic like Quote's. "Nice and pristine too." He'd then hand the Quote the new eye as the robot boy would hook it up to his optics. He'd blink for a bit... then smile as he could now see out both his eyes.

"That's better." Quote said, looking at Chaba. "Thank you."

"Eh, not much, but the least I can do, I guess." Chaba said, before seeing Curly's Machine Gun. "Seen a model like that before. Series 2?"

Curly shook her head. "Series 1. Original model. Energy bullet magazine, able to recharge."

"Recharge, eh?" Chaba commented, his mandibles twitching a bit. "Might have a little somethin' extra for ya. Gimmie a sec." He said as he set the glass down and started to leave the counter before nudging the purple Critter sleeping on it. "Rufus."

"Rrrrh?" The Critter would growl, slowly waking up.

"Keep watch over these two while I go check the storage, okay?" The Gaudi spoke, soon leaving the counter.

"Rrrhh..." The Critter would growl, soon going back to sleep as Quote and Curly waited. It seemed to be a bit of a wait before the Gaudi came back, holding some capsule in his arms as he set it down next to the Machine Gun.

"What your gun could use is one of the Turbocharge modules I got lying around." Chaba spoke. "Insert that thing into your gun, and your ammo's gonna regen in a flash."

"Woah..." Curly breathed, inserting the module into her Machine Gun, fitting like a glove. "Now _this_ makes me happy."

"More bang for ya bullet, I say." Chaba said. "Either o' you twos want anythin' else before ya head out?"

"I think we should be fine, thanks." Quote said, getting up. "We really should be going now."

"Ah, that's understandable." Chaba said as Curly got up. "Just you twos be careful on-" He was cut off when he noticed the Polar Star. "Hold up... mind if I see that pistol quick?"

"What, this?" Quote asked, unholstering the Polar Star. "What for?"

"Just lemme see it quick." Chaba said. Quote shrugged before handing the gun to the Gaudi. The insectoid would look over the gun a bit, seeming to look at the craftsmanship of the weapon before he started chuckling.

"Well, I'll be a Gaud Core's uncle!" Chaba said, looking over the Polar Star. "I recognize this sort of craftsmanship anywhere! This is Tetsuzou's work if I ever seen it! You an associate of his?"

Quote wouldn't know who this 'Tetsuzou' is, perhaps the gunsmith he had borrowed the Polar Star from in the first place? Regardless, Quote nodded.

"Aaaah, the old devil, was wonderin' when I'd hear from him about his next big gun project!" The Gaudi said. "I still got the part he needs in order to complete the project he was workin' on!"

"Wait, really?" Quote asked as the Gaudi started digging under the counter again.

"Got it right here as a matter of fact." Chaba replied, tossing the capsule to Quote. The capsule had blue ends, with three glowing stars inside of it. "Deliver that to the old hermit, would ya?"

Quote would nod. "Will do."

"Well, guess this is us going out now." Curly said, waving goodbye to Chaba. "See you some other time!"

"Don't mention it kid." He spoke, before realizing. "Oh! If ya headin' out for the Boulder Chamber, just keep watch for the maze security! He seems to have a thing against bots!"

"Duly noted sir!" Quote said as the two left the cantina. With a module in hand, Quote made it an extra note to give it to the gunsmith along with the Polar Star once they were out of the Labyrinth. After all, maybe this would make up for the fact that he had basically borrowed the pistol without asking in the first place.

* * *

The slick rock corridor soon opened up into a large, long pathway, leading deeper into the Labyrinth. Occasional bursts of steam would come from the pipes lining the corridor. The two scouts steeled their nerves as they started their trek through the long space, their footsteps echoing off of the ground as they paced themselves. They'd soon find the corridor was becoming metal...

Curly whistled. "Gotta admit, whoever originally built this place had an odd sense of craftsmanship." She said, looking at the long metal corridor. "Though... what did Chaba mean by that maze security thing?"

"Something's guarding down around here?" Quote guessed. "I mean, it'd make sense..."

"Maybe." Curly said, before something caught her attention as she whistled. "Well, look at that thing!"

Quote would turn to see what Curly was looking at; a massive four treaded machine, sitting dormant in the middle of the corridor as its treads clung to the outer walls. The green optic peering out from underneath its bronze casing was closed, appearing offline.

"Now that's quite the piece of technology there!" Curly said, running up to investigate it. "Look at this thing! It's massive!"

Quote would walk up to the large machine. "It's... certainly a thing. Looks like some sort of war machine..."

"Wonder what it's doing down here though." Curly asked. "Maybe its defective?"

Quote shrugs. "Possibly..." He'd shake his head. "We should be getting to the Boulder Chamber."

"Right." Curly said as the two passed the gigantic mech, continuing down the metal corridor... before their way was blocked off by a gate of red laser beams, completely covering the path forward.

"Seriously?" Curly said, shooting at the base of the laser field, which didn't even damage it. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Wish I could answer that..." Quote said, trying a Missile Launcher burst fire on the base. Again, the shots would do nothing.

"Maybe we gotta find another way around?" Curly asked.

"Worth a shot." Quote said, before a green spotlight shone on them from behind, causing the two to freeze.

" **HALT ROBOTS!** " A loud voice said. " **YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF TRESPASSING IN AN UNRESTRICTED AREA. LEAVE THE PREMISES AT ONCE OR FACE DESTRUCTION!** "

Curly would grit her teeth, readying her Machine Gun. "And who are you to tell us?!" She growled. Her answer would come in the sound of tank treads moving at an alarming rate towards the two.

That machine was active.

 _And now it was after them._

Quote wasted no time in dodging out of the way of the way of the rumbling treads, along with Curly as the mech rumbled right past them, soon screeching to a halt before rumbling back towards them. The two barely managed to dodge out of the way of the treads again before the machine halted, its bronze casing opening to activate four separate energy cannons on the inside to fire at the two scout robots. Curly took the opening as a chance and opened fire at one of the cannons, starting to do some damage to it.

Quote would take the initiative and whip out the Missile Launcher, taking aim and opening a burst fire on the energy cannons on the machine. Two of the cannons would be destroyed from the missile blasts before the bronze outer shell would close again, the machine once more rumbling towards the two on its treads. Curly would jump, landing on the top casing of the tread as it rumbled by and started unloading another magazine of energy bullets into the gigantic mech. The shots would only riccochet off the bronze armor before the sudden stop would throw Curly off the mech itself, having her hit the ground hard a a warning came up on her end.

 ** _/WARNING! TORSO HAS BEEN DAMAGED 32.6%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEM STARTING..._**

Curly cursed to herself as she got back to her feet, just in time to dodge out of the way of the tank treads again as they rumbled by her, soon the tank screeching to a halt again as the bronze shelling opened up, the remaining two energy cannons opening fire on the blonde robot. Curly rolled out of the way before opening fie on the already-damaged cannon she was firing at earlier, making it explode and the explosion taking the other cannon with it. At that point the mech let out a loud meow of rage is its bronze shelling closed up again, starting to rumble around the corridor again as Curly ducked behind the cover with Quote.

"Think I managed to piss it off more." Curly said, keeping cover as the gigantic mech rumbled by. "You got any ideas on how to bring that thing down?"

Quote would think a bit as the mech continued to rumble from behind their cover. "The next time it opens its shell, go straight for the body of it."

"You thinkin' enough damage to the body's gonna be enough to shut it down?" Curly asked.

"Only shot we got." Quote said as the mech screeched to a halt, its shell opening again as it's one green optic started to glow. The scout robot took his chance and lept out from the cover, opening fire on the mech's body with the Polar Star. The circuitry in the mech sputtered and sparked a bit before the mech's optic fired a searing green laser right for Quote. Curly dived in and tackled Quote out of the way right before he got blasted by the laser, as small homing missiles started popping out of the small orifices on the mech's treads. The shell would then close as Curly and Quote would duck behind their cover again, the homing missiles crashing against the rocky surface of it.

"Think we're gonna need a bit more firepower. Got an idea?" Curly asked.

"Use your Nemesis." Quote said, holstering the Polar Star and unsheathing the Blade. Curly would merely nod as the giganic mech stopped again, opening the bronze shell to begin another assault.

At that point Quote had lept out from behind the cover, slashing the sword horizontally as a flurry of slashes erupted from the sharpened metal, a projection of King's spirit materializing and unleashing a flurry of slashes onto the exposed inside, the metal casing being sliced open. Curly then would start firing her Memesis right into the open gaps, the machine starting to sputter and spark extremely bad now as it jumped and bolted erratically around the corridor.

" **NO! NO!** " The mech roared. " **NOT LIKE THIS! NOT LIKE THIS!** "

"Get down!" Curly yelled, tackling Quote to the ground as the mech violently detonated, shrapnel and molten metal shards going everywhere. As the blast died down from the exploded mech, Curly would glance to see a white feline tail retreating into one of the corridor's vents. Seems like whoever piloted the machine had escaped for the time being...

"You okay Quote?" Curly asked, getting off the male robot.

"I-I'll be fine..." Quote spoke, sitting up. "Did we get that thing?"

"Think so." Curly said, looking at the wreckage of the fight they had. "Wonder if that was the 'maze security' Chaba was warning about..."

"Probably." Quote said, sheathing the Blade. "Are we getting close to the Boulder Chamber?"

"I think?" Curly spoke, before the two started walking forward again towards the exit of the corridor. "We could be..."

The two would continue to walk in silence for a bit before they arrived at a doorway to the next area. They'd be surprised when they'd find the vertical corridor on the other side would be large and open, leading down into a pit below, with wires running underneath some sort of platform, along with a large pool of fluorescent green water. A massive hole would have been torn into the side of the cavern wall, showing a bright open sky, showing the two robots that this wasn't your average island... it was a floating one, high up into the sky.

"Oh jeez..." Curly spoke, looking at the massive gash in the wall. "I didn't know we were up _this_ high..."

"We should be careful." Quote spoke, before looking ahead. There'd be a door on the other side of the gap, but any sort of bridge across would be destroyed; it was hanging limp between the metal piping between the points of the gap.

"Are we gonna be able to clear that gap?" Curly asked. Quote wouldn't respond before backing up, taking a run and jumping across the gap before skidding on the ground on the other side, looking back to Curly.

"I dunno, you tell me." Quote said. Curly stepped back, about ready to get a running start...

...and was interrupted by the yells of an old man falling in the pit inbetween the two scout robots.

"!" Quote would react, rushing to the edge before yelling down the pit. "Professor Booster!"

"Wait, you know that guy?" Curly asked.

"Yeah, he and the others had me come to the Sand Zone to destroy those flowers in the first place!" Quote answered. "We can't just leave him down here!"

"Good point..." Curly said, looking down the shaft. "Well, we better go down there and make sure he's still alive. That fall might have killed him..."

Quote nodded, soon the two scout robots carefully descending the perilous shaft before reaching the platform where the professor had crash-landed on, just above the fluorescent water.

"Professor..." Quote spoke, lightly shaking his body. "A-are you alive?"

"...urrgh..." The old man would groan, trying to sit up before seeing Quote. He'd be beaten and bruised, and one of the lenses of his red-tinted glasses would be shattered completely. "Ghh! How'd you end up down here?!"

"That witch, that's how." Curly said. "She ambushed us right as we left the Warehouse."

"Mmmh..." Booster would groan a bit. "Well... this could be an opportunity arising."

"Professor?" Quote asked as Booster dispensed a rocket-pack from another cube.

"There's not much time for me to explain..." Professor Booster spoke, handing the rocket pack to Curly. "Take my Booster v0.8 and ge-" He'd be interrupted as he'd start coughing hoarsely. "Get to the center of the island."

"We were just on our way there." Quote said. "We were going to head back for-"

"Head back for where, young ones?" Another voice would say. Both Quote and Curly would look over and be shocked to see Jenka now on the platform with them!

"J-JENKA?!" Curly said just as Professor Booster lost consciousness.

"Do not worry." The old woman spoke. "I am merely here to help with your predicament." She would approach the unconscious Booster, lightly checking for a pulse on his neck. "He's alive, but he may not be for long."

"Can't you just teleport him out of here Jenka?" Curly asked, concerned, her hopes dropping when the old woman merely shook her head.

"At my age I'm afraid my magical powers have weakened a fair amount." Jenka spoke. "It took all my energy to just be able to teleport myself to the Labyrinth in the first place."

"Then, what can be done?" Quote asked, almost losing his hope of the situation.

"There is a medicine I had crafted long ago that I gave to the Labyrinth's health clinic to help heal the Gaudi that live down here. It may not work on scout robots like yourself... but it definitely will for humans." Jenka spoke, standing up. "Speak to Dr. Gero, he'll be able to help."

Quote would nod. "I'll be-"

"No Quote." Curly said, sliding the Booster pack onto her back. "Allow me to."

"Curly, I-" Quote started before Curly was interrupted.

"You've helped me out more times than I can count." Curly said, letting out a small smile. "Let me return the favor for once."

Quote would be silent before he nodded. Soon enough Curly activated the Booster as she'd start hovering up to a higher platform, landing squarely on it as the Booster shut down. A new reading came up on her end.

 ** _/WARNING. ALLOW BOOSTER PACK MODULE TIME FOR RECHARGE INBETWEEN USES._**

"Guess I gotta use this thing sparingly..." Curly said as she ascended the shaft more...

* * *

"Dr. Gero?" Curly asked as she had basically flung the door open to the small room. The doctor frog would look up from his desk to see the returning robot in his room now.

"Ah, it's you again!" Dr. Gero said. "What can I help you with?"

"I need the key to the clinic. Now." Curly answered with a sense of urgency.

"Now why would you need to go there?" Dr. Gero asked. "The old clinic has been abandoned for months now ever since it-"

"I need to get the medicine in there." Curly interrupted. "There is a man at the bottom of a Labyrinth shaft and if he doesn't get that medicine, he's going to die."

"Ah, well, that is quite the predicament." The frog doctor said, reaching into his desk and pulling out a key, handing it to the female scout robot. "It's just near the top of the area. Keep yourself careful."

Curly would nod, soon leaving the camp and leaping up, thanks to the help of the booster, to the old clinic near the top of the room. Slotting the key in the door, she'd turn it to unlock the door, only to then have it break off in the lock as the door creaked open. Curly would notice the room was very dark, dust having accumulated on multiple places and surfaces, an old doctor's chair seated near the center of the room. Near the back side of the room would be a very important-looking chest...

Curly would keep her Machine Gun at the ready, slowly stepping forward as she neared the chest near the back of the clinic, slowly opening it and looking inside. Inside it would be a small bottle of pills, with a medical label on it with the name of it in big black letters: **_Cure-All_**.

"Looks like this is what I need." Curly said, pocketing the medicine. "Now I just-" She was abruptly cut off as the door slammed behind her, jumpscaring her a bit before she rushed over the door, trying the knob. It wasn't budging, and soon enough she's trying to apply her full weight to the door to try and wedge it open... before she'd hear the sickly sound of pulsating liquid coming from behind her. She'd turn in fear as she'd look at the goo starting to pulse up from the cracks in the floor. Curly felt the fear rising in her chest as the goo formed into a familiar block-shaped figure, with thin red slits for eyes staring her down...

Curly would scream, unloading a barrage of energy bullets at the thing. Every shot that collided with the goo being would only start forming bubbles around its hulking frame before it lept and morphed into the ceiling, the bubbles squishing into the ceiling with it. Curly would try to force the door open again before the bubbles would leak from the ceiling above her, dripping down onto her. Curly would run to the other side of the clinic as the large slimy creature dropped out of the ceiling to right where she was standing before. She'd then take the opportunity and drew her Nemesis, unloading a barrage of searing shots straight into the creature. It certainly didn't like that as it let out a guggling roar as it soon ducked into the ceiling again, a new warning coming up on Curly's sensors.

 ** _/DANGER! HIGH ARCANE READINGS EMITTING! DANGER!_**

Curly would swallow hard as she'd run to the other side of the clinic as a vortex of the goo formed at the other end, the red eyes reappearing and slowly starting to advance to her. Curly would swallow hard as she held both her Machine Gun and her Nemesis and opened fire on the creature, spamming the projectiles in hopes of being able to stop it...

Luckily for her, the last shot fired from her Nemesis would do the trick. The vortex would stop, the goo-like box creature shaking violently in the center as it would disintegrate upwards into the ceiling, soon leaving all trace that it was in there. Curly panted hard, soon stumbling out of the clinic in panic and exhaustion...

...and then she remembered Professor Booster was dying.

Her legs hoofed it like no one would ever believe.

* * *

Quote was starting to get worried once Curly had came back to the bottom of the pit with Booster and Jenka, but he was partially relieved when she took out the pill bottle from one of the pockets on her pants. "This the right stuff?"

Jenka would take the pill bottle and look it over, soon nodding in approval. "This is indeed the correct medicine. Now..." She would then kneel down, unscrewing the cap on the bottle before sliding a pill out onto her hand. It was a fairly sized pill, white on one end and blue on the other. The old lady would slip the pill into Professor Booster's mouth before he swallowed on instinct. Soon enough he was covered in a sort of green glow as his exterior wounds would cover up, the healing taking effect. Soon enough he'd stand up, discarding the old pair of glasses he had and pulling out a new pair before putting them on.

"Heavens that feels much better." He spoke, before looking to Jenka. "Thank you for this. I don't know what I would have done without that medicine."

"It's not me you should be thanking." Jenka spoke, indicating to Quote and Curly. "These two were the ones that had saved your life."

"Ah, so the soldiers." Booster spoke, looking to Quote and Curly. "Yes, thank you both, dearly, but I fear your job may not be done yet."

"What do we gotta do?" Curly asked.

"Firstly, get out of the Labyrinth." Professor Booster remarked. "The longer you two stay in here, the more likely Sue is at risk of being killed. I need you two to make sure she's safe, then get her off the island before more harm can come to her."

"But, what about the Doctor?" Quote asked.

"Yeah, I owe him a beating for what fresh hell he put me through!" Curly growled, readying her Machine Gun.

Professor Booster would merely shake his head. "It's too much of a risk unless you can think of a strategy in order to make him lose his confidence..."

"If I may offer a suggestion." Jenka said, grabbing the attention of Quote and Curly. "There may be a way to, well, throw him off his cool, let's say."

"How?" Quote asked.

"Needless to say, you two are getting close to the heart of the island." Jenka spoke, starting to pace again. "It was something I created long ago for... 'compensation', let's call it, to keep the island naturally aloft in the air. Take it away, however..."

"Woah woah, hold up." Curly said. "Are you saying you want us to blow the island right out of the sky?"

"Hmph, of course not!" Jenka rebutted. "Just merely 'prodding' it should get the point more than across to that idiot with the crown."

"So we handle that?" Quote asked.

"You two are surface soldiers, no?" Jenka responded.

"Good point." Quote said, before looking to Curly. "You in on this with me Curly?"

Curly would nod, a newfound determination in her eyes. "Hell yeah I'm in on this, let's scare that Doctor!"

"Apapap! First thing's first." Professor Booster said, holding out his hand. "My Booster v0.8?"

"Wait, why do you need it back?" Curly asked.

"So I can finish it, of course." Booster responded. "You wouldn't think I'd just merely leave something as glorious as it unfinished now would you?"

Curly would think for a bit before nodding, taking off the Booster v0.8 before handing it over to Professor Booster. The old man would then put the pack into a storage cube before pocketing it. "Now don't worry about me." He said. "I'll find my own way out of here. You two just focus on scaring the Doctor."

Quote would nod, grabbing the Missile Launcher off his back. "You ready to go Curly?"

Curly would grin, cocking her Machine Gun. "Ready as ever Quote."

And with that, the two would take off, Quote performing Rocket Jumps and Curly using the kickback of her Machine Gun's shots to head back up for the Boulder Chamber. Professor Booster would look back up at the two before returning to his usual business. "Now then, how to get out of here..."

"There's an old teleporter right underneath this platform." Jenka answered. "It could use some fixing, but it should get you out of the Labyrinth without a problem."

"Ah, yes, well, thank you for the knowledge about that." Professor Booster said as he'd drop off the platform and turn to see the old teleporter. "Now to repair it..."

* * *

The Boulder Chamber surprisingly enough seemed to have much fresher air compared to the rest of the Labyrinth. The room was plain stone, for the most part, but at the back center of the room sat a humongous boulder, adorned with four strings of ceremonial tags.

"So, that's our boulder?" Curly asked, raising an eyebrow at it. "Doesn't look all that heavy to me."

"Well, we haven't tried to lift it yet." Quote spoke, approaching the massive rock. "Let's try to give it a shot, and hope we can get through."

Curly would nod, getting into position at one end of the boulder as Quote would get into position at the other end. "On three?" She asked. Quote nodded in response.

"Alright... one, two three!" At that point both bots would try to lift the massive stone, causing many pained grunts and groans from the two before a new dire warning came up on both their ends.

 ** _/EXTREME DANGER! ARM CYLINDER PRESSURE OVERLOAD! CEASE ACTION AT ONCE OR RISK CERTAIN DETONATION!_**

Needless to say, it stopped the two from trying to lift the boulder _real_ quick.

"Well shoot." Curly breathed. "Chaba wasn't exaggerating when he said this thing was heavy..."

"How are we supposed to get further then?" Quote asked. "We'd need the weight of another heavyweight t-"

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"

"...for god's sake." Quote muttered under his breath as Balrog burst through the upper wall and landed in the room.

"Ah, so you two _are_ alive!" Balrog said. "And here I thought I'd be having to search around the entire Labyrinth just to find you two."

Quote would raise the Polar Star right at Balrog's face again, intending to fire.

"What, you're gonna fire that at me?" Balrog commented. "Shouldn't you two be resting instead of trying to make an escape party?"

"Well with what busin-" Curly would start, before getting an idea. "Actually, you have perfect timing!"

' _Curly, what are you-_ ' Quote started to think in his mind before Balrog interrupted.

"Eh? What am I in time for?" He asked.

"Could you grab go in the middle there and grab the rock?" Curly asked.

"Okay? I guess?" Balrog said as he waddled over and grabbed the center of the rock. Curly would wink to Quote and he'd finally be getting the idea of what she was doing.

"Ready?" Curly asked.

But then Balrog just picked up on what he was doing.

"ARE YOU TWO EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" He yelled, throwing Curly aside and knocking her unconscious. Quote immediately assumed combat formation and opened fire on Balrog with the Polar Star, soon having to dodge roll out of the way as Balrog charged past him. Balrog would then leap up and fire off several missiles from unknown points on his body, the scout boy ducking out of the way of them but getting thrown a bit by the blast of one. Gritting his teeth, he'd soon holster the Polar Star as he'd get the Missile Launcher off his back. Balrog wanted to fight dirty? He'd fight dirty back.

Quote would open fire with the Missile Launcher, the explosive projectiles slamming right into the box-thing's face. Balrog would counter as he ran forward, soon tackling Quote to the ground again, keeping him pinned there. The scout robot would struggle under Balrog's massive weight, before he got an idea. Igniting the Fireball he still had on, Balrog would start to squirm massively before leaping off of Quote, yelling in pain as he ran around the room flailing like he was on fire when he wasn't. Quote would soon take the opportunity and open fire with the Missile Launcher, blasting Balrog sideways before he'd collapse in a heap unconscious on the floor, the blast marks evident from where he had been hit with the Missile Launcher.

Sighing in relief that the fight was now over, Quote would sling the Missile Launcher onto his back before moving over to Curly, lightly nudging her to see if she was okay.

"Ooof..." Curly would moan, sitting up as she rubbed her head in pain. "The hell happened?"

"Balrog, that's what." Quote said, looking over at the unconscious brick. "You okay?"

"Nothin' that my auto-repairs won't fix." Curly responded, before looking at Balrog. "What about him though?"

Quote would be silent for a bit before he spoke again. "I got an idea."

"I'm afraid to ask." Curly spoke, before noticing that Quote was getting out his Life Pot Jenka had given him. "Woah woah woah, hold on. He attacked us and now you're going to _heal_ him?"

"Worth a shot." Quote said, walking over to the box-thing and uncapping the jar, soon pouring the liquid into Balrog's mouth. Nothing would happen for a bit... the Balrog would glow a bit before his wounds healed and he stood back up.

"What the?" He spoke, confused. "Did anyone get the number of that Missile Launcher that hit me?"

"Four five zero one seven." Quote responded.

"It was a rhetorical question." Balrog answered, before becoming even more confused. "Wait, why'd you heal me?"

"Hey, like it or not, we're all in the same boat of being trapped down here." Curly spoke, putting a hand on her hip. "The only way forward is past this rock."

"Alright, alright." Balrog said, waddling over to the center of the rock. "But not a soul learns of this, understood?"

"Lips are sealed." Curly said, grabbing her side of the rock while Quote grabbed the other. "Ready?"

"One, and two, and..." The rock would then slowly start to move under the lifting force of all three before Balrog threw it above his head, the boulder landing a few feet away. "And there. It's moved."

"Appreciate the help." Quote said.

"Like I said, don't mention it." Balrog said. "Now, I'll be off." He would then leap into the ceiling and- "HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!" another explosion would blast his way out.

"Y'know..." Curly spoke. "He may not be that all of a bad guy."

"What makes you say that?" Quote asked.

"He didn't seem to bitter about helping us move the rock." Curly said. "Maybe it's like Misery said, they're just forced to work under the Crown's power."

Quote would shrug as a chest crashed down onto the floor a few feet away from him. Jumping a bit, he'd soon walk over and inspect it before opening it. At that point an orange ball of light would pop out of the chest and circle around Quote before going into his Missile Launcher, turning the metal of it from grey to orange. A new reading would come up on his end.

 _ **/UPGRADE AUGMENT DETECTED. MISSILE LAUNCHER NOW POWERED UP TO TWICE POWER AND DAMAGE.**_

Quote would then notice the little note on the lid of the chest. Curious, he'd pick it up and read it.

 _'Just a little something from me to you to help I guess._

 _-Balrog'_

Quote would smile. Maybe Balrog wasn't that bad after all...

"You ready Quote?" Curly said.

Quote nodded, readying his Polar Star. "Let's go find our way out of here."

And with that, the two would head off deeper into the Labyrinth...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 5 End**_


	7. Chapter 6: Oppression

As soon as Quote and Curly had taken a step into the new part of the Labyrinth, they'd be surprised as to how different it'd be compared to the rest of the Labyrinth they'd seen so far. The stone floors were a lot cleaner than the rest of the Labyrinth, however pulsating sacs of some kind would be lining the area. The piping would still be prevelant throughout the area, along with several large wooden crates sitting around the area on hanging wooden scaffolding. Vent shafts would be slowly rotating their fans, allowing some more fresh air to be brought into the tunnel system.

Curly would smile, keeping her Machine Gun at the ready. "Finally, a change of scenery for once!" She commented, looking over to Quote. "You ready to bust outta here?"

Quote would nod, readying the Polar Star before the two set off into the newer tunnels. It wouldn't be far though before they'd encounter some resistance though, a pair of armored Gaudi would begin attacking the two as the got close to them, causing the two to take cover as their blade projectiles embedded into their crate cover. Quote would dodge-roll between the crates, unloading a cylinder to Polar Star shots right into one of the two Gaudi, the blasts knocking it back onto the ground. The other Gaudi would charge straight for Quote, but would be blasted aside as Curly opened fire on it with her Machine Gun. She smirked, twirling the weapon in her hand before blowing the smoke away from the tip of the barrel.

"Now, we're starting to get some action in here!" She grinned, advancing forward. "Bring it on!"

Quote would merely shake his head before going after Curly. Seems like the freedom is giving her a good dose of stress relief as she opened fire on more of the armored Gaudi, all of which continued to fall to her Turbocharged Machine Gun. She smirked, starting to get a bit fancy as she dodge-rolled before leaping into the air over the Gaudi, raining down shots onto them. Quote would just sigh as he still opened fire on the armored Gaudi, the overgrown insects falling to the Polar Star as the two continued to fight their way through the Labyrinth, soon dropping down a long vertical shaft into the next corridor.

The next corridor would have more piping and flooded pools of water, a long wooden bridge leading over the entire thing. The two scout robots would take the bridge over before Quote would notice the darker scorch marks on the plants of the bridge at certain points. Just as Curly stepped onto one of the darker scorch marks, a loud buzzer alarm would sound before Quote would tackle her out of the way, just as a whirl of fire blasted down onto the locations of the scorch marks.

"Ooof, thanks for the save." Curly spoke, before looking up at the aggressor of the fire blast; a cobalt fan-like structure with a single red eye in its center, looking straight at Quote and Curly. Curly would grit her teeth before she shot the thing, the Machine Gun's rounds tearing through the machine before it remained unmoving. Wasting no time, Quote and Curly would progress forward as more purple Critters would start flying in from holes in the walls, soon firing purple shots at the two scouts. Curly opened fire with her Machine Gun while Quote kept his aim steady with the Polar Star, the shots tearing through the Critters like nothing else as they popped like balloons. A shot would graze by Quote's shoulders, but he'd shrug off the pain as the two continued their trek further into the stony corridors, dropping down another shaft before looking on to the next corridor...

The next chamber was partially flooded, water leading from the ceiling as large glowing circles would monitor throughout the area above. Quote and Curly would keep low, making sure not to trigger sight of the floating creatures, though this meant moving through the water of the flooded corridor. Thankfully enough, the creatures didn't seem to have ears as the two sloshed forward below their sight line. The two would make it to the end... only to find something looking like a large valve cover blocking a shaft leading further down.

"A sealed cover?" Curly asked. "Something big must be down that way."

Quote would then notice the computer terminal opposite of the valve cover. Curious, he'd walk over and start typing into the keyboard on it.

"Whatcha trying to do?" Curly asked.

"There may be a prompt to open it in here somewhere." Quote said, sifting through the command list. "Ah, here we are..." He spoke, soon hitting an enter key as the valve depressurized and opened up. Quote would walk to the edge before looking in, seeing nothing but inky blackness below.

"Looks a bit dark up ahead." Quote said, activating his optic's lights. "You ready?"

Curly would hit a button on her headset, her optics lighting up like flashlights. She grinned. "As if I wasn't!" With that, the two robots would drop into the inky dark corridor below, their optics now illuminating the way.

What the found down there made them question if they were even still in the same place anymore. The walls and corridor were no longer made of the usual stone of the Labyrinth, now made of metal and lined with more piping, now cracked and broken. Blood-red spikes would be around several parts of the abandoned corridor, old equipment and exposed wires would be sparking, and probably the most disturbing part, was that it was eerily silent. Dead silent.

Quote was tense as the two robots would slowly progress forward, keeping their weapons at the ready in case something would crawl out and come at them. The eerie silence was definitely unnerving to Curly. The only occasional sound would be the dripping water from the ceiling, splashing in small puddles on the ground below. The lack of enemies in the area would seriously raise the tension of an ambush, something Quote wasn't exactly too keen on. Thankfully enough for the two, they'd soon be reaching the next drop-down shaft as they'd hop down to the floor below, this corridor now leading in a slope downwards towards a new entrance near the bottom, a pool of water around the base of the door. Taking care to keep their cool as the two lept down lower down into the caverns, Quote would keep his gun grip tight before he broke down the door, both him and Curly keeping aim situated around the room as if they were a SWAT Team.

The room they burst the door into was empty, but the roaring sound of a waterfall could be heard as the two would find the source of the sound nearby; a massive pipeline was running through the side of the room, leading down into the depths as an opening in the pipe was merely closed off by a grating, the water splashing out into the room and accumulating a small wet puddle on the ground. Curly would step forward.

"It doesn't look like we can pass through there..." Curly said, looking at the grate. "The water's coming through too forcefully; we'll be torn to shreds."

"We keep moving forward?" Quote asked. Curly merely nodded in response.

"It's the only shot we have." She spoke as she advanced to the next door, appearing much more hi-tech than the one they just broke through. Swallowing hard, Quote followed Curly through into the next room.

The two would soon find themselves in a larger room with multiple decks, a ruined staircase connecting between them. In front of the two would be a massive blast door, one which Curly ended up scanning.

"Woah..." She breathed. "Solid Bendezium blast doors. Whatever's behind there, we're not getting in by blasting it open."

"Let's look around." Quote spoke. "There might be a computer terminal around here that can open them."

"You take the top decks, I take the bottom decks?" Curly asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Quote said, before the two split up to begin their search around the abandoned facility. Curly would be scanning around the lower parts, looking between terminal to terminal, but the most she could be able to find was merely nothing more than sparking screens and hanging wires from the ceiling. Loose papers would be scattered across the floors of the place; whoever was working here must have bailed in a hurry.

Quote's searching was proving to be much more tricky; and hazardous, seeing there were massive holes in the upper decks from some sort of decay and rusting... and possibly heavy weapon fire. Keeping as close to the walls as possible, Quote would inch around the side of the walls to prevent falling into the hole below as he'd start searching around on the other side of the hole, soon finding a chest. He'd open the chest, soon finding out it was a munitions chest, finding several more packets for his Missile Launcher. Smiling a bit, he'd stow the extra Ammo clips for it before turning his attention to what appeared to be an observation window, cracked, shattered, and hard to see out of, but Quote could make out a few vague shapes and colors, what appeared to be a scaffold build and... something large and green? That'd strike him curiously, as soon he'd turn and head for the stairway...

...right as the floor gave out from under him and he'd fall through to a lower deck, a reading coming up.

 _ **/WARNING! ARMS HAVE BEEN DAMAGED 22.6%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEMS STARTING...**_

 _ **/WARNING! LEGS HAVE BEEN DAMAGED 12.53%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEM STARTING...**_

 _ **/WARNING! TORSO HAS BEEN DAMAGED 34.73%. AUTO-REPAIRS SYSTEM RESTARTING...**_

Quote would groan in pain as he would soon get up, seeing a faint blue glow coming from a screen nearby. He's slowly limp over to the screen, soon looking at the program open on it. It appeared to be a main control panel, linked up to the blast door near the entrance of the room. He'd type some things in on the terminal before a loud alarm sound came, alerting both the bots as a slow rumbling came through the facility. The two bots would soon meet back up near bottom deck as they saw the blast door opening... then another... then another...

"Oh my..." Curly breathed, scanning. "Four! Four solid Bendezium blast doors in a row!"

"Whatever's back here, they definitely wanted to keep someone out." Quote said, starting to walk forward again before reaching near the back of the hall... only to find ANOTHER blast door.

"Make that _five_!" Curly said, scanning the next door before her jaw dropped. "Holy shit!"

"What?" Quote asked.

"Th-this door's coming up at least five feet thick of solid Bendezium!" Curly spoke. "What the heck is in there?!"

"There must be another terminal linked to this door somewhere. It didn't open with the others." Quote spoke. "I'll look around a bit more. You keep an eye in case it opens, okay?"

Curly would nod, and Quote set off to start searching around the abandoned facility more. He'd soon find another staircase, this time leading down below into a lower basement area, that was half flooded. The scout bot would steel his nerves before taking a step down into the cold water, starting to wade around as searched for the next terminal to activate. Various supplies and such were floating around in the flooded basement, makign the trek a bit uneasy for the scout as he soon reached the other end of the basement, finding a computer terminal. Typing into it, he'd soon hear a loud creaking along with the yell of Curly's voice.

"Hey, Quote!" Curly had yelled from the floor above. "The blast door's opening! Get your metal butt up here!"

Quote would work his way back towards the stairwell, soon climbing back up towards the main floor and heading for the main blast door. Soon enough he'd find the room would open up into a large open containment room, with a large amount of metal scaffolding around the area of the room, half-covered with aging vegetation. Near the back of the center of the room, Quote would finally see what that green blur he was looking at earlier was; it was a massive body of plant matter, almost ten times the size of the two scout robots, a dark black opening at the front of it as it remained motionless there, held to the grating by many wires attached to it. Around it were several smaller versions of itself, also tethered to the grating at the back, as if they all were chained animals. Destroyed and scrapped robots would be lying around the area in shreds; arms, legs, decapitated torsos, robot heads on sharpened metal and any other array of scrapped scout robots littered the room. The bottom of the room was also partially flooded, the water slightly rising and lowering at irregular intervals.

"Woah..." Curly said, starting to look around. "I-it's like a robot graveyard in here..."

Quote had a feeling wrench his gut. "Curly..."

"Yeah Quote?" The female scout responded.

"These... these are all scout robots..." Quote spoke, as soon a horrified look on Curly's face would appear.

"Oh my god..." She breathed, looking around the room. "There's dozens of them... what did this? There's no way it could've been an enraged Mimiga..."

Somethign would catch Quote's eye as he started walking towards one of the disheveled robot arms sticking straight up, something wrapped around it. Upon the scout robot approaching closer to it he'd see it was some kind of rope; a soldier grade Tow Rope, used for carried casualties of war. Quote would pocket the rope for now; he figured it may come in handy later.

"Hey! Quote!" Curly yelled, grabbing the attention of the male scout as he soon made his way to the female to find her next to a broke, degraded robot near the center scaffold of the room. "I think I found one still functioning!"

"Wait, really?" Quote said as he kneeled down next to the robot, taking off his hat and setting it on the ground next to him. Of course, neither of them would be noticing the cables slowly loosening...

"I think so!" Curly said, indicating to the robot's glowing red optic. A garbled mess would be coming out of the robot's mouth; or what remained of it as it had no bottom jaw. Curly would tap a button on her earphones, ejecting a wire out of the left one as she plugged it into the headset on the scrapped robot. "Here, lemme just try..."

"What are you doing?" Quote asked, the two not even noticing the large plant-like creature from the tethers now free and slowly moving towards them.

"Trying to clear up the static in what he's saying." Curly said, turning a dial on the outer part of her headset pieces, trying to tune in on what the droid was blathering... but soon a message came through.

And it wasn't a pleasant one.

"TEAM 8 TERMINATED! TEAM 8 TERMINATED! CODE RED! CODE RED! TARGET DESTRUCTION IMPOSSIBLE! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" The robot was shouting, almost in a panicked tone.

Curly's stomach seemed to twist as she heard the message. "Target destruction?"

"Impossible?" Quote would swallow hard. "So... whatever attacked the robots in here... was impossible to destroy?"

Curly would still feel tense, both robots not even noticing the black space on the plant-matter creature opening up, nine blue-colored eyes with deformed orange-black pupils staring right into their backsides.

"H-hey... Quote?" Curly spoke, a slight hint of fear in her voice.

"Y-yeah Curly?" Quote responded.

"I don't think we're alone in here..." Curly choked out, swallowing hard... before both scout robots would turn and see the gigantic plant creature not even a foot from them, all its eyes staring down on the two.

It roared.

Curly screamed.

* * *

"Is the progress on the the Hell's Hibiscus study coming well mi'lord?" Misery asked as she warped into the section of the castle that appeared to be a table of some sort. The Doctor would have several petals of the hibiscus spread out across the table, along with several gauges and compression machines.

"Very well indeed..." The Doctor spoke. "These flowers appear to be made of pure arcane energy... its power able to bring out latent abilities, but destroy their sense of reason..."

"That seems fortuitous mi'lord." Misery spoke. "Are you planning on figuring out how to harness its power?"

"Well, of course." The Doctor responded, turning to face her. "I plan to use that energy for myself. However, I do not wish to lose my sense of reason, so if I can harness it's power without losing my sanity, I can ascend myself. I will become an angel, nay, a _god_ amongst men."

Misery would bow. "I wish you fortuitous luck mi'lord." She spoke.

"One more thing." The Doctor spoke. "What happened to those little soldier pests? Are they properly disposed of?"

"They are permanently sealed in the Labyrinth, mi'lord." Misery responded. "There is no physical way to get out of there once you are trapped in it." Although the Doctor wouldn't know this, Misery lied about that last part. There _was_ a way out of there, but he didn't know of it...

"Excellent." The Doctor spoke, turning back to his work. "Dismissed."

Misery nodded, soon teleporting down to the throne room and out of sight of the Doctor. Taking a seat on the massive throne, she was internally hoping the entire plan was going accordingly. She knew there was the very real possibility that Balrog could still potentially screw this up big-time and ruin their chance, but hopefully he wasn't that dumb...

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"

Speak of the devil, there he was now.

Balrog would crash in from the side wall, appearing in front of Misery. "I have returned from my trip to the Labyrinth!"

"Ah, good, I was wondering what was taking so long." Misery spoke, looking at him. "Are those two on their way to the Waterway?"

"Right on schedule!" Balrog commented.

"Excellent." Misery spoke, getting up. "Now, the next part of our plan is going to require a bit of work on our end, so I'll need your help on this, understood?"

Balrog would nod in response.

"Alright, now, head down to the teleporter room in the Plantation and speak to the Droll guarding the machine itself." Misery spoke. "Tell it that if specifically the boy comes through and tries to take the teleporter, to knock him unconscious and toss him into the one prison hold where we're keeping that Sakamoto brat, understood?"

"O...kay?" Balrog answered, confused.

"It'll make sense later, just go do it." Misery spoke, only to get a nod from Balrog as he lept out of the hole he created and headed for the Plantation. "And as for me..." Misery said before she warp, the scenery changing around her to the area of the Plantation, standing in front of a small entryway into holding area. "I've got a Mimiga I need to speak with." She'd walk into the dark cave, approaching a set of bars across the hall leading into a spacious cell, before lightly rapping on it with her staff.

"Excuse me? Miss Sakamoto?" Misery would speak. "I'd like to have a word with you."

"Well I have three for you." The voice of Sue growled from the darkness. "Leave me alone."

Misery would sigh, continuing to stare into the cell. "Look, I don't want to have to do this the hard way." She spoke. "I know that soldier and his little circuit-brained girlfriend are going against the Doctor, as is the rest of your family. So-"

"So WHAT?!" Sue practically yelled, gripping the bars of her cell in anger as she glared at Misery in pure rage. "You want me to just give out where the rest of my family is and let the Doctor have his way with us?! Like some sort of sick science experiment where we're the guinea pigs?!"

"Would you ple-"

"NO!" Sue yelled almost on the verge of tears at this point. "You really think I'm that stupid?! My mother could be DEAD because of you and that stupid Doctor! Why the heck would I-"

"She's alive." Misery spoke, causing to Sue to freeze up in shock. "I would have no reason to kill her."

"..." Sue was silent for a bit before speaking. "...where is she."

"She's hiding somewhere within the Plantation that I can't discern." Misery spoke, leaning forward. "However, that scout friend of yours is going to be here soon. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's going to help your mother. When he gets here, tell him everything you can about what happened here and where you're possibly going once the Doctor summons you."

"And why would I want to do that?" Sue spat.

"Because I know he can kill the Doctor." Misery spoke. "And I want it to happen."

Sue would be silent, contemplating about it... "Alright," She finally spoke, looking Misery in the eye. "I'll do it. On one condition."

"And that is?" Misery spoke.

"Please... just spare the other Mimiga in here." Sue spoke.

"Well, I'm not the one that's going to be doing harm to them in the future..." Misery spoke, soon giving a small smile. "But deal."

Sue nodded, soon moving back into the darkness as Misery left the cell room, heading back out into the Plantation. It wouldn't be long before Balrog would land next to the witch again.

"So, the Droll knows?" Misery asked. Balrog nodded in response.

"It took a bit of explaining to do. Drolls like them don't exactly have the largest brains to work with, but hopefully it got the point across." Balrog said.

"Well, hopefully so." Misery spoke. "Then once those two get out of the Labyrinth, we can finally be fr-" Misery was cut off as a large rumbling occurred in the caverns, causing the Mimiga below to panic and start running around scared.

"An earthquake? Up here?" Balrog spoke. "But this island is floating!"

"The only thing that could shake the island like that is-" Misery spoke, before she went wide-eyed. The realization had hit her like a ton of bricks.

The Core.

 _The scout robots were attacking the Core._

"Shit shit shit shit..." Misery cursed to herself in a blind panic. "I didn't think this through enough! Oh no..."

"Misery!" The Doctor's voice echoed through the cavern. "What was that?!"

"...crapbaskets..." Misery swallowed hard, warping to the Doctor...

* * *

Curly would open fire on the creature in a blind panic, spraying and praying with the Energy shots from her Machine Gun. The creature's opening would close back up into a black void as the smaller pods accompanying it opened up, firing small spinning blue projectiles at the two robots. Quote would draw his Polar Star, taking aim and blasting at each projectile out of the air before opening fire on the pod's eyes themselves. Two of the smaller pods would recoil in pain before screeching, heading straight for Quote. The male scout robot would dodge-roll to the side, out of the way of the two charging creatures as they would crash into the metal walling behind him. Gritting his metal teeth, Quote activated the Fireball again and opened fire, lobbing heat orb after heat orb at the two pods before they caught fire, screeching in pain.

By this point the main pod had repoened its central cavity, its nine eyes reappearing again as it opened fire with a barrage of seething blue projectiles. Curly would roll out of the way before switching out for her Nemesis, unloading a couple shots straight into one of the beast's nine eyes. The eye would burst open, splattering Curly with a disgusting blue goo, the pod letting out a loud pained shriek before another pod would come in and ram Curly to the side. The female scout winced in pain before unloading the Nemesis point blank in the pod, it catching fire and dropping Curly entirely. The main pod would close back up as its smaller pods went back to attacking the two scout robots.

Quote would unsheath his powered-up Missile Launcher before opening fire on the new set of pods that came up, the burst of the missiles completely obliterating one of the pods. The other pods would angrily screech and charge for him, only for Curly to open fire with her Machine Gun on them and draw them away. Quote would merely flash a nod of approval to her before putting the Missile Launcher back onto his back, getting the Blade at his side as he rushed the main gigantic pod.

The pod would open its cavity again, the eight remaining eyes looking to open fire upon Quote as the scout robot came close with the weapon, unleashing a flurry of blue projectiles at the scout boy. Quote would side-step away, one shot just barely grazing past the side of his metal face before he lept up and swung the sword in a horizontal arc. Another flurry of slashes, let by King's spirit, would fly straight for the eyes, taking out two of them as they erupted into geysers of blue goo, splattering on the ground. Quote would leap back as the pod roared in agony before the water in the room started rising, quickly enveloping the two scout robots underneath it as a current started to flow harshly through the room, pushing the two robots back against the sealed door to the exit. The two would struggle to move before the massive creature fired off large searing shots straight for them, intending on vaporizing them. Curly was able to roll away, but Quote was already struggling with the lack of oxygen in his system as he barely managed to avoid it in time, almost blacking out before the water drained, the pod resuming fire on the two. Curly gritted her teeth before opening fire with her Nemesis, another two eyes falling to the blasts before the pod closed back up again, roaring in pain.

At this point the two scout robots were growing desperate, trying to end this fight as quickly as they could before they would obtain serious harm. Quote would motion to Curly to goad the pod into opening its eyes, to which Curly responded with a nod, pulling out her Machine Gun and opening fire on the main pod as the other pods responded with opening fire on her. With the main pod alone, it opened its cavity, the last four eyes remaining as they locked onto Quote. The male scout robot would pull the Missile Launcher off his back, take aim...

...and let loose as a burst of missiles erupted from the barrel of the weapon, slamming into the last four eyes of the creature as they burst into the blue goo. The creature roared and screeched in pain as it shook violently, as if it was having a seizure.

"W-we did it?!" Curly yelled, pumped up on adrenaline. "I-is it over?!"

"You IDIOTS!" A female voice yelled before Misery materialized. "I would have expected you two to escape, not nearly bring down the entire goddamn island!"

"Huh?!" Curly asked, merely gaining an agitated groan from Misery.

"YOU TWO DUMBBOTS NEARLY KILLED THE CORE AND BROUGHT THE ISLAND DOWN WITH EVERYONE ON IT!" Misery yelled, her voice cracking a bit. "What the hell were you two thinking?!"

"Misery!" Another voice yelled before the Doctor materialized. "Move the Core to the castle! NOW! While you still have a chance!"

Quote and Curly would take aim and open fire at the Doctor, only to be met as a red transparent shield formed around him.

Misery's body would course red as she let out a loud roar, soon enough her and the Core disappearing entirely. With that out of the way, the Doctor soon turned his attention to the two scout robots.

"I've had just about enough of you two..." He growled, the red glow on the Crown starting to shine brightly. "Do this Doctor a favor and please **_DIE_**." With that, the Doctor would fire off several red lightning bolts at the ceiling, breaking the metal and water starting to flood the entire place. "I'll leave you both to your graves among your fallen 'comrades'." He dryly comment before teleporting off.

"Curly." Quote spoke. "We need to get out of here."

"R-right!" Curly said, both of them rushing for the sealed door as they would try to get it lifted open. Both of them could feel the rushing water coming higher and higher up their bodies as they desperately tried to pry the thick metal door open to no avail. While Curly had an Air Tank to help negate her underwater breathing problems, Quote's situation was far more dire; the Air Tank he had was damaged beyond repair when he had woken up, meaning he couldn't stay underwater for long. For the two, the situation only grew more and more panicked as the water was soon past their waists as Quote beat on the door in desperation, hoping to god it would open as the water would start to go past his head. Quote would still struggle, tears starting to flow from his eyes as he heard the muffled cries from Curly before he lost consciousness...

* * *

Quote's mind would be unconscious for quite some time... but he had soon heard a voice unfamiliar to him...

 _'Did you know... the mystic Jenka had a brother?'_ The voice said. Quote remembered; Cthulhu had quizzed him and Curly on the fact back in the Sand Zone...

 _'His name was Ballos...'_ That name... it sounded... familiar...

 _'Like his sister... he possessed great arcane powers beyond anyone's wildest imaginations...'_

* * *

Misery and the Core would warp into the top floor of the castle, where the female witch would collapse to the ground, panting heavily. She'd struggle to hold her own body up as Balrog would soon come crashing into the room.

"Misery!" Balrog yelled. "Are you alright?!"

"N-no..." Misery coughed, a small trace of blood coming up. "Th-that teleportation spell took way too much energy out of me... oh god, my body..."

"Y-you need rest." Balrog said, picking Misery up and carrying her down to the throne room, setting her on the chair in there, Misery's face contorted in pain as her chest heaved. Balrog would soon run off to get a blanket as he threw it over Misery. "Better?"

"J-just give me a bit..." Misery moaned, before looking to Balrog. "The plan might be compromised."

"What happened down there?"

"Th-those scout robots nearly killed the Core and brought the island down with it." Misery spoke, wincing. "Now they're trapped down there in the Core room..."

"So... what do we do at this point?" Balrog spoke.

Misery would fall silent, closing her eyes as tears would start to form, before she uttered a single word.

"Hope."

* * *

Quote would suddenly jolt awake, clutching his chest in pain as his eyes frantically darted around the flooded room. Misery was gone. The Doctor was gone. The Core was gone.

Panic was rising in his chest. How was he breathing right now? Shouldn't he be dead? And then the horrible realization hit him.

Curly.

Quote started to frantically look around the room to try and find her, any trace of the poor blonde. The current in the room would be ebbing and flowing, making hard to move... but he soon found Curly, half-floating unconscious in the water, her once-white metal face now blue from oxygen deprivation, her guns merely moving in the light current of the room. The sight nearly brought Quote to the brink of tears. The two had barely known eachother for less than a day on the island... and yet here she was, having given her Air Tank into his systems to make sure he survived. He almost broke down into an emotional collapse... but he steeled his nerves when he saw a small spark in Curly's optics. Now was not the time for mourning; now was the time for action. If he didn't do something now, Curly would definitely die within the room.

Thinking fast, Quote would get fish out the Tow Rope he had picked up earlier from exploring and hastily tie their torsos together as if he was giving her a piggyback ride, keeping her body close to him as he finished the securing. With the newly acquired Air Tank that wasn't even his, Quote, now carrying the unconscious Curly, would leave the Core room, now traversing backwards through the flooded and dark facility, the large mechanical door sealing up behind him... this time for good.

Reaching back to the junction room, he's soon find that the door back into the Labyrinth had now collapsed rock in front of it, and the grating covering the pipeline would have been destroyed, the entry into the pipeline now wide open. With nowhere else to go and no way to go back to the Labyrinth, Quote would tighten the Tow Rope and activate his flashlight optics, before stepping into the harsh current and being dragged into the island's water artery.

Quote's body would be aching as he held Curly close to him for dear life, keeping his boots dragging along at least one of the walls to keep himself slow and able to react to obstacles coming up ahead. Vaulting a bed of spikes, he'd nearly be clotheslined by a pipe of the waterway as he soon was pushed into an open chamber, filled the the brim with jellyfish squishing around. Quote sighed; he didn't have time for this as he unholstered his Polar Star, opening fire and clearing out the room before moving into it. Soon being uncontrollably thrown about before slamming into the wall, his hands gripping onto the edge of a ledge as he barely managed to pull himself up to it, panting heavily. He'd shaking get to his feet, stumbling forward before his hands met a door. Gripping the knob and twisting it, he's stumble into the cabin.

The cabin wasn't much; only having a few bookshelves, a bed, a table with a computer on it, and a small reservoir that led back into the Waterway. Quote would untie the Tow Rope, picking up Curly and laying her down on the bed face-up, her motionless eyes now closed as her face was still blue. Quote would sit on the bed next to her, looking down on the floor. He couldn't help but feel responsible for this; it was his actions that ended up getting her involved in a war he had to fight... one that he was losing, and fast. Tears would start to stream down his face as soon he buried his hands in his face and began to openly cry; the stress from the past several hours he had repressed had finally caught up to him as sobs wracked his robotic body. If he had never met Curly, she wouldn't have gotten dragged into the situation. She never would have been thrown down into the Labyrinth along with him.

 _She never would have drowned._

Still shaking, Quote got to his feet and started to look around the room, for something, ANYTHING that could help him right now. Anything that could give him back that small glimmer of hope he once had...

Little did he realize upon looking at the bookshelf, he'd find that small glimmer.

A small dusty book sat on the top shelf as Quote picked it up, soon blowing on the cover to remove the dust as the front read, "Surface Soldier Robots And You: Maintenance". Quote slowly felt his heart start to grow again; this could be only shot he got. Rushing over to the desk, he quickly opened the book and moved to the index before turning to the correct section.

 _"Surface Solder Maintenance: Waterlogged."_

 _"Soldier and Scout Robots manufactured on the surface have limited aquatic mobility. While most models are equipped with a standard Air Tank, this module may become damaged if carelessly not looked after. Should a surface robot become waterlogged, their system will activate an immediate and abrupt shutdown to preserve itself and prevent short-circuiting. Should your model become flooded, the instructions for unflooding are as follows;"_

 _"STEP 1: Remove any and all loose articles from said soldier model. This will include weapons, clothing, etc."_

Quote would look to the unconscious Curly Brace, still lying on the bed. He was about to regret doing this one part... but her life was at stake, decency be damned. The male scout would walk over, and slowly start to strip Curly of her clothes and her guns; the bra being the last removed article as he laid the robot back down, her smooth metal frame of white and light grey resting on the bed. Despite her outfit, she didn't seem to possess the means of reproduction, which made sense; she was a robot. With that out of the way, Quote would turn back to the book.

 _"STEP 2: After removing all loose articles from the model, locate the torso release switch inbetween the midriff and breastplate of the soldier model robot; this will allow you to open the torso cavity and reach the drainage switch."_

Quote would return to Curly's side, examining over her body before he found the button; a small circular indent just below her chest. Pressing it, Curly's chest would open up, revealing the complexity of her inner workings and endoskeleton; solid titanium-chromium blend. With the torso opened, Quote returned to the book again.

 _"STEP 3: Locate the Water Drainage Switch just behind the base of the endoskeleton ribcage, and give it one-quarter turn clockwise. Upon doing so, wait ten minutes for water to completely drain and the system to start its auto-reboot."_

Quote would return to Curly's side, looking into the torso cavity before carefully gripping the switch, giving it the quarter turn clockwise it needed before a hissing sounded. All of Curly's joints, barring her head and neck, would stretch out with about two inches of space inbetween each joint, the liquid starting to pour out and onto the floor. With nothing else to do but wait, Quote would have a seat at the desk and sat out what felt like the longest ten minutes since the time he had been activated.

Once that time passed, however... then the magic started to happen.

"Unnnnghh..." A moan came, making Quote jump as he'd soon see it was coming from Curly's unconscious body, the joints recompressing as her body returned to normal. She'd sit up, rubbing her head in pain. "Owww..."

"C...C..." Quote started to sputter a bit before tightly hugging the robot. "Curly... oh my god, it worked..."

Curly wouldn't know what was going on, why she was essentially naked or why Quote was hugging her in such an emotional break down right now, but she wouldn't need the answers right now, she'd merely just hug Quote in response, tears forming in her eyes.

Right now what they needed was eachother.

* * *

"So... you gave me your Air Tank, even though you knew you were gonna drown?" Quote asked as Curly was putting her clothes back on.

"I'm not sure what came over me to be honest." Curly said, rehooking the front of her red top. "I guess I was just so worried about your well-being I acted on instinct. I didn't have time to rationalize the thought process in my head."

"Well... it worked, right?" Quote spoke, earning a nod from Curly as she rehooked her belt.

"A question though..." Curly spoke.

"Yeah?"

"We barely know eachother." Curly responded. "So... why would you go out of your way to save my life?"

Quote was silent from this question, thinking a bit before he came up with a response.

"Because honestly Curly?" Quote spoke. "Right now, we need eachother's teamwork more than ever. If it wasn't for our efforts, I don't even think we'd even be here at this point."

Curly would smile a bit. "So we stick together?"

"As much as we possibly can." Quote said, getting the Tow Rope. "Ready to head out?"

Curly would nod as the two got the Tow Rope attached before leaping into the waters and being pulled along by the current. Thankfully, Curly had a better chance at breathing now that she was inside Quote's air bubble as the two held onto eachother as the current flowed around them, carrying them to the big tunnel of flowing water. However, their plans would go awry as they soon heard a loud roar from behind them.

"You heard that, right?" Quote asked.

"Yeah, and whatever it is, I don't think it's friendly." Curly spoke, readying her Machine Gun.

Their answer would soon come as a gigantic green-helmeted fish came charging right past them, breaking apart the walls of the waterway and sending the chunks flying into their path. While the current was still pushing them along, Quote still had some maneuverability as he weaved inbetween the rock fragments before the large fish came into sights of the two again. Quote would immediately shift into his attack mode as he opened fire on the fish, trying to bring the thing down as each energy bullet struck the fish, causing it to growl before it ducked back, opening its mouth and firing off a horde of spiny pufferfish at the two bots. Curly would use her Machine Gun and blast them out of the water before seeing the massive fish charging straight for them.

"Go down!" Curly yelled. Quote would angle the two downwards as the massive fish would whiz by overhead. Quote would unload another cylinder of energy bullets right into the gigantic fish as it'd soon drop back to behind again... before the two would feel a violent tug as the Tow Rope would be caught on something, leaving nothing but the battering currents trying to pull them.

The rope was caught.

"Shoot!" Curly yelled, frantically trying to find where their lifeline was trapped, but it was hopeless; it was trapped at a point they couldn't see. With the massive fish closing in, Curly acted in desperation.

She unhooked the Tow Rope, causing the two to crash into another large rock and be split off down separate tunnels. Quote blacked out as he soon saw several white squids going after the massive fish...

* * *

Curly would soon find herself washed up unconscious on the banks of a reservoir in an area she wouldn't even know about, along with Quote's hat. She laid there, inactive... that was, until a certain hat-wearing Mimiga had spotted her.

"Huh?!" Jack said, rushing to the waterside and nudging the robot girl. "Hey, are you alright?!"

"...nnggh..." Curly would merely moan, pained.

"Shoot, she's hurt. How am I gon-" Jack started, before he was interrupted by a green-cloaked figure would soon appear from behind him.

"No fears, furry one." Cthulhu spoke, soon picking up Curly and taking her away. "I know where to put her..." It wouldn't be long before Curly had been set down at her new location; down in a small alcove with a simple bed inside it. Curly would soon regain consciousness, slowly sitting up and feeling the hat on her head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jack said, looking over Curly. "The Doctor's been enslaving all the Mimiga here to grow those flowers, you think you can help free us?"

"Wh... who?" Curly asked, a blank, vacant look in her eyes.

"The Doctor?" Jack spoke, before Cthulhu silenced him.

"It appears the girl has amnesia..." Cthulhu spoke. "I'll keep watch of her for the time being, you go back to... whatever it was you were doing before."

"R-right." Jack said, scampering away from the alcove. Though it wouldn't be far before he got interrupted at the bridge above, Balrog landing down in front of him.

"Now where did you run off to you little scamp?" Balrog spoke.

"Does it matter?" Jack rebutted.

"Yes."

Jack let out a disgruntled sigh, before walking over to Balrog and whispering into his... place where the ear would be, before the box-thing had a face of shock.

"THE ROB-" He was about to yell before Jack shushed him. "Oh, right... well, you did good, but the Doctor can't grow suspicious. Just come to the Jail with me."

"Fine, fine..." Jack said as Balrog gave him the Huzzah Airlines straight to Jail No. 1.

* * *

Quote would hold his head in pain as he sat up, soon surveying his surroundings. The familiar wooden hanging docks were all too big of a giveaway.

He was back at the village.

Panic setting in from the lack of Curly, not even realizing he was missing his hat, he'd soon rush out of the Reservoir and back into the main village, only for his hopes to be dashed.

The village was empty; not a single soul remained.

The further and further he went, the more and more his hope diminished. He'd soon enter into Arthur's house, to find it outright empty as well...

...that was, until Professor Booster and Jenka came in on the teleporter, stepping out onto the house's floor.

"Ah, it's just you, I see." Booster commented, looking around at his surroundings. "By the lack of your friend and the abscence of all the Mimiga, I can assume the scare tactic has backfired."

Quote would sadly nod. "Well... for starters, Curly and I... almost accidentally killed the Core..."

Jenka would merely sigh, shaking her head. "That is on me. I never told you what the beast looked like."

"...all of the Mimiga have been captured by the Doctor at this point. He's amassed the Hell's Hibiscus to feed them." Professor Booster would pause before he spoke again. "I fear that tragedy is inevitable..."

The room would fall silent for a bit before Professor Booster approached Quote and gave him what appeared to be a more highly-advanced jetpack than the one he had earlier. "Had I known these events would transpire out into such a horror story such as this, I would have at least let Sue escape before this could happen..."

"P-Professor..." Quote started, before Booster silenced him.

"Please, just honor my final request." Booster spoke. "If you see Sue, if she's still alive at this point, use my Booster v2.0 and flee from this island. She is Dr. Sakamoto's daughter. She didn't even want to come on this trip, and yet I'm certain her father would be crushed to find out about her dying here... please."

Quote was silent... then he'd nod, soon slipping on the Booster v2.0 before exiting out of the house.

He still had one loose end to tie up first.

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 6 End**_


	8. Chapter 7: Spur of the Moment

It felt like an eternity since Quote had woken up in this cavern, even though realistically it was closer to several hours since he rebooted here. He'd be slowly moving down the jagged slopes of the cave before he'd come back to the familiar wooden bridge to the door on the other side. A bit of nervousness settled in as he started to walk across the wooden planks of the bridge, soon entering into the gunsmith's once again.

The old hermit was now wide awake, searching around the premises of his small workshop to look for something. Quote hesitantly gave a small knock on the wooden frame. "E-excuse me? Mr. Tetsuzou?"

"Eh?" The old man would say, getting up and looking at Quote. "What do you want?"

"I-I'm here to make a delivery for you, sir..." Quote spoke, pulling out the capsule with the stars in it he had gotten from Chaba. "I believe a Chaba fellow wanted me to deliver this to you?"

The hermit would take the module, looking over it a bit. "Ah, yes, I did order this from him and I was wondering when it'd get here. Though fat lot of good that does me right now..."

"Why's that?" Quote asked.

"The gun I was going to have this augmented with. The incomplete one at that." The hermit merely responded, still looking around his abode. "I'm almost certain at this point someone had pilfered the gun while I was asleep! Bah, if only I had kept the gun in my chest pocket had I known that had been the case..."

Suddenly Quote felt a lot worse for having borrowed the Polar Star near the beginning of his entire adventure. "Sir?"

"What now?" The hermit grumbled.

"I... think I know what might have happened to it..." Quote spoke, the guilt rising in his chest.

"And what would that be?" The hermit spoke.

Quote would let out a distressed sigh, unholstering the Polar Star and handing it out to the gunsmith. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly too pleased...

"What are you doing with my gun?!" The hermit yelled, taking the Polar Star away from Quote. "I didn't make it for you!"

"Sir, I'm sorry, I..." Quote spoke, feeling guilt about taking the gun in the first place.

"Hmph! You've certainly put a good amount of wear into it..." Tetsuzou said, looking over the gun before he fell silent.

"...sir?" Quote spoke.

"...I was raised to believe that a weapon of defense should be crafted by oneself." Tetsuzou spoke, starting to pace a bit. "That one who fights with another's weapons and considers that force his own is witless. Growing confident with powers that were never their own to begin with... then blaming their own shortcomings on the equipment they use. Complete fools!"

Quote would be silent as the hermit would continue.

"However... seeing you, having used such an imcomplete gun to this degree... it... it touches me, in a way..." Tetsuzou would fall silent, thinking about something before he spoke again. "Ah, pardon my ramblings. How about this?"

"Y-yes sir?" Quote asked.

"I'll give this back to you..." Tetsuzou spoke, soon grinning. "After it's completed of course!"

Quote suddenly felt a lot better on the inside knowing the old hermit's work wasn't going to be going to waste. He took a seat as Tetsuzou started to work away at the weapon, minutes passed by more and more...

Finally, the gunsmith spoke again.

"It is complete!" Tetsuzou said, grabbing Quote's attention as he handed Quote the improved gun. While still keeping the general feel of the Polar Star, it's shape had been elongated to what appeared to be an inbetween of a pistol and a sub-machine gun. The casing was still the cobalt color, but the star was now engraved and moved to the middle of the gun's side. The most interesting aspect of the completed weapon, however, was the lack of any sort of cylinder in it, unlike it's predecessor.

"Is... is this it?" Quote spoke, recieving a nod from Tetsuzou.

"This... is the Spur." He answered. "It is thanks to you I have learned to open my eyes a bit about the balance of creation. So long as there are people that respect the work put into creation, the effort is well spent."

Quote would nod, shaking Tetsuzou's hand. "Th-thank you sir..."

"It is nothing, dear lad." The gunsmith spoke. "Now, as a heads up, the second trigger activates the Whimsical Star module. Remember that."

Quote would nod, thanking the gunsmith once again before he returned to Arthur's house to see Booster and Jenka.

"Ah, there you are again!" Jenka said. "Where did you run off to?"

"Sorry, had to tie up a loose end." Quote spoke. "What's wrong?"

"We've just found Sue's note here." Booster spoke, handing the paper to Quote. "Have a look for yourself." Quote would take the paper from Professor Booster, reading over it.

 _'Hey, in the off-chance you're reading this, well, we could possibly be captured. If we're not however, head for the Egg Corridor. Kazuma just went there not too long ago to hatch the Dragon Egg so hopefully you can meet us there so we can try to get off of here. If I'm captured however... I just want to apologize, since it may be most likely I'll never see you again._

 _-Sue'_

Quote would be filled with a new determination. "I'm heading for the Corridor." He spoke, walking past the two and getting the teleporter set up. "I have a friend I need to rescue."

"You be careful now." Booster spoke.

Quote would nod, stepping onto the teleporter as he warped away...

* * *

The loud alarm screeching would not be what Quote was expecting when he came out the other side of the teleporter. And it wouldn't take a genius to see why; the entire corridor was completely leveled, several destroyed walls and shattered glass all around the hall. The ceiling had massive cave-ins, points barely being held up by their supports. The eggs were destroyed, dead dragon corpses littering outside of them...

Quote's mind was racing as he took in the surroundings. What happened here? Where was Kazuma? Where... where was anyone here?

His answer would come as soon enough a barrage of flames would be thrown at him. Quote would dodge-roll to the side off the teleporter, out of the way of the oncoming flame shots as they collided with the teleporter, destroying it entirely. Looks like Quote's was back was gone for the time being. Gritting his teeth, he'd look up to see his attackers; a twin pair of tan-scaled dragons, glaring at him with green eyes, looking not too happy about the destruction of the corridor. The one let out a roar as it soon divebombed at Quote, the robot rolling out of the way as he made a break down the corridor. Fighting these two things now wouldn't be the wisest idea; he had to find Kazuma.

The twin dragons would then open their mouths again and let loose another jet of flames at Quote. The robot would tense up as he pulled the Spur and opened fire back on the dragons. The energy bullets that game from this weapon were much thicker, looking to make much more impact than the Polar Star's shots did. While not piercing, the Spur's shots definitely stunted the two dragons a fair bit as the recoiled backwards in pain from the blunt force alone. The one roared in pain before blasting a massive fireball straight for Quote. The robot tensed up as he accidentally pulled the second trigger, a burst coming from the end of the gun as three small stars would now be orbiting him like an atom. Quote slightly smirked internally. So this was what that Whimsical Star thing Tetsuzou told him about was...

He'd soon turn his focus back to fleeing from the two dragons as he ducked into the observation room as the large beasts tackled the door, trying to bust in. Quote would grit his teeth as he rushed to the other end of the room, drawing the Spur and pointing it straight at the door, before noticing the small gauge on the top of it along with three lights. Upon pulling the trigger and holding it down, he'd notice the weapon would charge rather quickly the three lights coming on one by one before all three lights were on. With no time to react as one of the dragons burst into the room, mouth open ready to breath fire. Quote would release the trigger before a thick searing white beam shot forth from the gun's barrel, tearing right through the dragon's insides from its open mouth, killing it in almost an instant. The other dragon would break into the room as Quote charged the Spur again, unloading another Level 3 laser straight into its open mouth as it collapsed to the ground, smoke billowing from its mouth.

Quote would get out of there and keep running, soon reaching the room that held the massive egg labeled **No. 00**. Throwing open the door, his hopes would fall as he'd find the massive egg's shell was shattered, the dragon gone... Quote would rush to the computer screen, seeing the text displayed on it.

 _ **/INCUBATION SUCCESSFUL.**_

Quote would soon hear what sounded like a door opening as he grabbed the Spur and aimed it at the door... only for Kazuma to come through it.

"Oh... it's just you." Kazuma spoke, looking away. "I wasn't sure if you were safe or not..."

"Where's Sue?" Quote spoke, almost as if he was demanding.

"Not here. It's only me." Kazuma would sigh. "After you left for the Sand Zone we secured and sped up preparations for an escape plan. I came here to hatch the egg... and then the Doctor had attacked here, leveling the entire place. Sue was kidnapped, and Professor Booster, he disappeared somewhere..."

The room was silent before Kazuma spoke again.

"The Doctor has apparently acquired all the seeds he needs for his plan." He spoke. "But... I'm not blaming you." He'd turn to look at the massive eggshell. "The Doctor's victory was certain from the instant he got his hands on that Crown..."

Something about the way Kazuma said that struck a nerve in Quote... and not in a good way.

"It's only a matter of time before he and the enraged Mimigas are ready to attack the surface..." Kazuma spoke. "If that happens, it'll be futile at that point to even try and stop him... even for you."

Quote's inner anger started to rise; here Kazuma was, ready to outright give up on the entire situation when the Doctor hasn't even secured his victory? When there was still hope?

"There's no choice but to run from this place... There's a possible escape, but it's only aboard a Sky Dragon. That's why I came here by myself..." Kazuma spoke.

And then came the line.

"Would you like to escape with me?"

Needless to say, Quote was livid.

"Escape with you?" Quote spoke, anger in his voice. "Escape with you?! Do you even know what hell I've gone through just to get here?! This entire time, I've been stuck down in the pits of the island, worrying about any of your group being okay for when I get back, and now you're wanting to take the fucking coward's way out and just run?!"

"What oth-"

"THERE IS A CHOICE GODDAMNIT!" Quote yelled, his fists tightening. "I stay and fight for what's right; for _everyone_ on this damn island! There are people counting on me here. If I take your goddamn escape offer, not only will I be dishonoring King's final request, but I would be dishonoring Professor Booster's final request to make sure Sue is safe and sound!"

"But-"

"And how do you think she'd feel if she found out you just decided to up and abandon her? Leaving her here to die?!" Quote yelled, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You really think how she'd want to remember her brother?! Just abandoning her and leaving her to die without so much as a second thought?!"

"..." Kazuma would be silent as Quote shoved his way past him, heading for the door Kazuma had come through.

"You might be content with taking the coward's way out, but not me." Quote growled, getting his Spur ready. "I'm heading straight for the Doctor and ending this nightmare. Permanently."

With that, he'd shove the door open, soon finding himself on what appeared to be a metal runway on the side of the floating island itself. The moon was high in the sky as it bathed the side of the island with its pale light, the clouds below passing the island by. Looking up, Quote would get a view of the sheer size of the island itself; massive steel framing would be attached to the outside of the island, smaller blocks held on steel piping sticking out and creating some sort of pathway upwards. Steel scafolding would be held up by piping, leading to large rounded metal structures that clinged to the underside of the other part of the island, of various metal colors. Quote would grip the Spur tightly as he started his ascension.

It wouldn't be far before he had met resistance.

A large spectral figure would soon appear as he began his climb, looking like a large feline animal in a sheet, tracking his movements as he scaled the precarious scaffolding. It had put its paws over its mouth before it let loose a volley of white projectiles towards Quote. The robot boy would duck behind a block barrier as the projectile would plink off it, disintegrating entirely. Gritting his teeth, he charged the Spur again before letting loose another giant laser blast as it tore right through the creature to shreds. At the cloth tatters would fly by, Quote continued his upwards ascension. The wind was howling as his scarf whipped behind him, and making use of the Booster v2.0 he had gotten from the Professor wasn't exactly easy either. The wind would soon throw him against the wall, causing him to land onto the sand...

Wait, sand...

Quote would scramble as he soon was perched on top of the Sandcroc's jaws, just out of harm's way. Grumbling to himself, he'd continue higher and higher up the Outer Wall, drawing closer to the large dome-like protrusions from the underside of the island. Soon enough he'd see his opening; a small hatch on the underside of one of the giant domes. With the Booster v2.0 giving him support, he'd rocket into the hole above and land in a corridor. Keeping the Spur readily nearby, he'd keep his guard up as he'd soon find a much more advanced door than any other ones he's seen so far. Upon trying to force the door open, the door would let out a denied buzzer, which agitated the scout robot. Deciding he wasn't going to take any crap from the system, he aimed the Spur and blasted the locking mechanism open, the door opening by itself as the robot would walk in.

"EEEEAAAAAHGHGHGHH!" A voice yelled before Quote would turn to the source, a Mimiga cowering in the corner of the small storage room.

"Sir?" Quote spoke, approaching the cowering Mimiga.

"P-please! Don't kill me! I'm not a Mimiga!" The Mimiga squealed. "I was a human turned to a Mimiga by magic!"

"I'm not here to hurt you!" Quote said, causing the Mimiga to stop cowering.

"E-eh?" The Mimiga spoke, turning to face Quote. "You're not one of the killer soldier robots? You startled me so badly by coming in so suddenly... are you here to save all of us?"

Quote responded with a nod. "It's why I'm here."

The Mimiga would nod in response. "I'm Itoh, one of the scientists that came to the island with the Sakamotos. That witch gave me this Mimiga appearence."

"So where am I right now?" Quote asked.

"This is the storage unit right next to the Plantation of the island." Itoh spoke. "That's where the Doctor is growing those horrid hibiscus."

Quote would nod, walking to the next door before blasting it open with the Spur, startling Itoh again before Quote entered into the new locale. The new location was vast and verdant, rather hollow for the inside of a floating island. The light would give off a green glow on the cavern, small amounts of fireflies flitting between areas. The mlarge farming areas would be situated between certain hollow point structures of the cave, old wooden bridges interconnecting them all to eachother was well as the far back areas of the Plantation. Down below would be a massive reservoir, and Quote would notice a small alcove...

Curiousity piquing him, he'd drop down to investigate it, and his robotic heart almost skipped a beat when he saw Curly lying on the bed down there.

"Curly!" Quote cried, rushing up to her.

"..." Curly didn't seem to respond well.

"...Curly?" Quote asked again.

"Who... are you?" Curly would ask, causing Quote's heart to drop.

"It's no use right now, child." A voice said, before Cthulhu had stepped out of the shadows. "Her mind is gone, she doesn't remember a thing."

"Nothing...?" Quote breathed.

"Well..." Cthulhu spoke. "There may be something to help her..."

"What, what is it?" Quote asked, anxious.

"There is a certain kind of mushroom that is able to restore the memories of a person..." Cthulhu mused, thinking. "It is known to be in a graveyard somewhere on the island... but sadly, I cannot think where..."

Quote would think, before nodding to Cthulhu. "I'll find it. For her."

"Such tenacity." Cthulhu spoke. "Well, I wish you luck on saving her..."

Quote would leave the alcove as he started to look for a way back to the village. He had remembered there was some sort of graveyard there, maybe that might be his luck for finding that mushroom? Skidding his way down to the reservoir of the gigantic cave, he'd soon see a familiar fishing rod Mimiga sitting out on a lone dock in the water. Leaping across the floating stones, he'd reach the dock where none other than Kanpachi was sitting, casting his line out for a hopeful bite.

"H-hello?" Quote asked, walking up behind Kanpachi.

"Hm?" The Mimiga would respond, turning to look at Quote. "Ah, you again. Was wonderin' when you'd be coming around here."

"Hey, you know any way to get back to the village?" Quote asked.

"Hmmmm..." Kanpachi would think. "Not one that I would know of, but..." He'd indicate to the door at the other end of the reservoir. "Last I heard that's a teleporter room over there. You might be able to hook it up to the one at the village and get back that way."

Quote would nod, activating the Booster before boosting over to the other shoreline, walking to the door and opening it. Inside the small stone room, the robot boy would see a teleporter sitting in the middle of the room, a computer set up next to it, along with a Droll, currently passed out off to the other side of the teleporter. The Droll was snoring loudly, meaning Quote currently had some leeway with activating the device before the creature woke up. Moving quickly, he had made his way to the teleporter's computer, linking up the destination with Arthur's house in the village before he stepped on and activated the teleporter, warping away to Arthur's house as he soon rematerialized. Professor Booster and Jenka were not within the house; they must have left for somewhere. But that wasn't important to Quote right now.

What was important was finding that mushroom.

Making his way back through the abandoned village, he would soon find another cave entrance that he had missed on his initial trip, near the Assembly Hall. After a short trip through the connecting tunnel, Quote would soon find himself in a bit of an expansive cavern, graves would line the area as there would be a hanging storehouse at the far end of the Mimiga's final resting place. The scout robot felt unease as he crossed across the graveyard, moving past the many headstones and wooden crosses making the eternal slumber locations of the perished creatures until he got to the hanging storehouse, using the Booster v2.0 to get that bit of extra height to reach the door before he snuck in.

The storehouse area was small and damp, not a whole lot room inside of it, aside from two small mushrooms sitting near the back-center room, both purple in color and having what appeared to be black beady eyes as they seemed to talk to eachother about something...

"Uh... excuse me?" Quote asked. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Eh?" One of the mushrooms said, looking over to Quote. "The heck are you and what business do you have?"

"I'm looking for a kind of mushroom that's able to restore memories." Quote asked. "Do either of you two know where I could find one in this graveyard?"

"Wha?" The other one said. "Look, stop wasting our time and get lost."

Quote would cross his arms, flabbergasted as to why the mushrooms were not wanting any sort of business with him. Though deciding he wasn't going to get any sort of answers from the two, he activated his scanner and scanned the two mushrooms.

 ** _/Name: Ma Pignons_**

 ** _/Scientific Classification:_** ** _Agaricus Memisporus_**

 ** _/Phylum:_** ** _Basidiomycete_**

 ** _/Class: Euclid Fungi_**

 _ **/The Ma Pignon is known to be an extremely rare breed of fungi, only being able to grow in damp, dark locales where other mushrooms are unable to. It is said they are to be sentient, although this has not been known to be confirmed as of current research. DNA tests show that the Ma Pignon has a serum labeled as RTM-I, a recently discovered type of amino acid that is able to re-replicate the electronic signals in the brain of a person's lost memories. Studies have shown that upon the consumption of this amino acid, a person's memories are able to be restored in merely a few seconds after consumption. Side effects in humans are shown to have nausea afterwards from memory recovery overload; it is unknown what happens when a robot consumes one.**_

Quote couldn't believe his eyes from the scan log; these were the mushrooms he was looking for! The one he could use to restore Curly's memory...

"Hey," Quote said. "I need both your helps."

"The heck do you need us for?" The one mushroom said.

"My friend, she's lost her memories." Quote responded. "I-"

"OOoooooh no, I see where this is going!" The other mushroom said. "We're very rare mushrooms bub! We're not just something you just flaunt around to restore memories! Don't think for a second we're gonna let you eat us!"

"There's no need t-"

"IT'S ON YOU METALHEAD!" The mushroom roared before lunging for Quote soon biting down hard into the robot's wrist. The robot yelled in pain before shaking his wrist harshly, trying to shake the mushroom off onto the ground before he pulled the Spur out, pointing it directly at the mushroom as it lept back away from him, bouncing around the room.

"Please, can I ask that-" The other mushroom was trying to speak before the attacking one interrupted.

"I'M NOT BEING FOOD!" The attacking one roared as it charged straight for Quote to headbutt. In a blind panic, the scout robot aimed the Spur at the mushroom and charged before firing quickly, not giving the Spur the chance to get to Level 3, only to 1. A thin white beam, unlike the thick laser blast of the Level 3 charge, shot out of the front of the gun before piercing the mushroom straight through, the fungus collapsing to the floor dead.

Quote went wide-eyed, the gun dropping from his hands as the weight of what he just did set in. "I-I... oh god..." He breathed.

"..." The other mushroom remained silent.

"I-I didn't want to kill it, I swear!" Quote said. "I jus-"

"Stop." The other mushroom said, looking at Quote. "I know you're only trying to do what was best for your memory-less friend. It is okay."

"Wh-wha-"

"Listen. Do what you need to do." The mushroom said. "Go ahead and pull the trigger on me, as long as it will help you on your quest."

"...a-are you sure?" Quote spoke.

"I know when someone is on the brinks of despair; where you are right now." The mushroom said. "If it means consuming me, then so be it."

Quote would feel a knot in his stomach as he aimed and pulled the trigger on the other mushroom...

* * *

The scout robot would feel uneasy as he stepped back onto the teleporter to the Plantation, a knot in his gut that he definitely felt bad about what he had just did. Though, his thought process would be soon interrupted as someone yelled.

" _KILLER ROBOT! SMASH!_ "

The next thing he knew, he was knocked out cold from a massive orange vegetable.

* * *

The water dripped off the stalactites as the three Mimigas sat in wait for what was the inevitable of the Doctor needing them. Sue was still fidgeting around the place with anxiety before she heard the cell door open. Knowing that it was most likely a Droll, she didn't try to fight against it... but was then surprised as then a familiar white-skinned robot was thrown into the cell, collapsed in a heap. Misery had been right the whole time.

"!" Sue said, running up to the robot. "H-hey! You alright?"

No response.

"Hey! Wake up!" Sue yelled, starting to slap the robot before Jack ran over.

"I don't think that's going to work Sue!" Jack said. "He's completely unconscious!"

"Then what do I do?!" Sue snapped.

"What Misery told you!"

Sue fell silent as she nodded, quickly running to grab a piece of paper and a pencil as she quickly and hastily wrote down what she was going to explain. She had just finished slipping the written note into Quote's pocket before the cell bars opened again.

"Ah, Sue..." A voice said as Sue was soon enveloped in a red field, a Droll coming in and grabbing Jack. Fear grew in Sue's heart as she recognized the voice.

 _The Doctor._

"Your appointment is now." He spoke, soon snapping his fingers as all the figures disappeared, except for the robot boy and the large Mimiga eating in the corner.

Quote would slowly awaken, his head still swirling as he sat up, mumbling something to himself. "Nnnnnghhh..."

"Ey, you awake now pal?" Mahin had spoken from his eating corner, grabbing the attention of Quote.

"Wh-where am I?" Quote asked.

"Plantation jail cell." Mahin responded. "One of the Drolls threw ya in here unconscious. Sue was in a fritz trying to wake ya up."

The mention of Sue made Quote tense up. "Is she okay? Where is she?"

"You just missed her." The fat Mimiga said. "The Doctor just came by to take her and Jack away." Quote's heart sank as he heard those words.

"She left something in your pocket though." The fat Mimiga said, returning to his food. Curious, Quote would check his pocket to find a letter of some kind, opening it and beginning to read it.

 _ **"Hey, it's me, Sue.**_

 _ **I don't remember telling you anything about us. We came to the island as a research group.**_

 _ **It was me, my Mom, Kazuma, Professor Booster and Itoh.**_

 _ **...The Doctor was with us, too.**_

 _ **He was supposed to take care of our medical needs and did, I guess...**_

 _ **But that all changed when he found the Demon Crown...**_

 _ **That Crown used to belong to the master of this island- and grants immense magical powers to the person who dons it.**_

 _ **The Doctor knew about it well before coming to the island. It's the reason he forced himself onto our group.**_

 _ **After he grabbed hold of the crown that was pretty much it, we couldn't do anything about it.**_

 _ **The only thing we could do was continue the research of the island under his command.**_

 _ **He seeks to rule the surface using the island as a flying fortress.**_

 _ **From what I can tell, he plans on attacking the surface with the enraged Mimiga army.**_

 _ **I was able to escape, however, I don't know about most of the other's fates at this point...**_

 _ **Of course, he's using the innocent Mimiga to grow a large quantity of the red flowers.**_

 _ **And once he's ready to attack... He's gonna send the Mimiga into a state of insane rage by feeding them red flowers.**_

 _ **With his powers from the crown he'll control them and possibly me, too.**_

 _ **If you can get out of the jail, please look for a hidden safe house somewhere within the Plantation.**_

 _ **If my Mom is still alive then she'll be there working on a plan of her own to beat the Doctor... if Misery isn't lying to me about it, that is.**_

 _ **Please, help her as much as you can.**_

 _ **Before I forget, the password to get into the safe house is "Litagano Motscoud". If Misery is correct about all this, my Mom is the only shot you might have left...**_

 _ **-Sue"**_

The last part of the letter confused Quote. Greatly. Wasn't Misery allies with the Doctor? Didn't she have no choice in helping the Doctor's plans succeed? If that was the case, why would Misery be telling Sue that her mother was alive if it truly wasn't the case? It just didn't seem to add up...

Though that was the least of his worries right now.

He needed to get out of that cell.

Grabbing ahold of his Spur, he'd take aim at the bars of the cell, charging up to the Level 3 power before letting loose on the bars, the blocking structure falling to the wayside as he made his escape back into the Plantation. Remembering where the hole Curly was situated, he'd waste no time as he was soon back down that hole by her side, taking out one of the Ma Pignons he had obtained.

"Hey..." Quote said, handing her the mushroom. "You feeling okay?"

"I... think?" Curly spoke, looking at the mushroom. "What's that?"

"Something to help you." Quote said. "Go on, eat it."

"Uuuh... okay?" Curly spoke, taking the mushroom as Quote took out the other. "What... is this?"

"Just trust me, okay?" Quote spoke, taking ahold of his mushroom.

"A-alright..." Curly spoke as she took ahold of the Ma Pignon handed to her and ate it as Quote did with his.

The next thing that happened to the two robots were their processors sparking wildly...

* * *

The roaring sound of helicopter blades deafened the interior of the chopper as the hulking craft made its way towards the floating island. The interior was filled with the active soldier robots, most of them grey in color and model, looking threatening as they communicated to eachother about the mission to the island. There'd be two robots that stood out, however, sitting on one of the benches near the back wall of the chopper, one male and one female. The female was wearing a red cap, covering a bit of her blonde hair, while the male had a green metal plate with a heart on it attached to his belt.

"I dunno Curly..." The male said. "My nerves have been flaring up ever since we were sent on this mission. What... what if we're not capable enough?"

"You're still worried about that Quote?" Curly responded. "We'll be fine. It'll be a simple in-and-out job on our end. We go in, destroy the thing, and get out before anyone else knows."

"But what if we fail?" Quote asked. "What if others find out what our plan is?"

"You're worrying too much Quote." Curly spoke, setting a hand on his shoulder. "We're a team, remember? We can do this."

Quote inhaled deeply before sighing. "I just hope we can pull this off..." Quote spoke. "You know we weren't originally built for combat!"

"Until our creator modified us. You know he had good intentions." Curly said, polishing up her crimson Machine Gun a bit. "As long as we stick together, we'll be able to do this."

Quote would still be tense... but Curly's words made him a bit less so. "Partners for life?" He asked, extending a fist.

Curly smiled, returning the fist bump. "True that." She answered. "So, are you ready for what's going to come?"

Quote nodded. "Ready."

"And hey..." Curly said, taking off the hat and putting it on Quote's head. "In case we get separated or something happens to me, keep this as a memento whenever you feel down."

Quote would nod, removing the metal heart plate on his belt and handing it to Curly. "Same to you with this."

Curly would sadly smile, taking the plate and hooking it onto her belt. "I'll remember it." She spoke, before a loud buzzer sounded.

"ATTENTION SOLDIER ROBOTS!" The intercom in the copter droned. "T MINUS TWENTY SECONDS TO THE DROP ZONE ON THE ISLAND! PREPARE FOR LANDING!"

"Welp," Curly said, cocking her Machine Gun. "No turning back now. You ready Quote?"

Quote would nod, grabbing his own gun. "Let's do this." He said, preparing for the landing...

* * *

The sparking would soon die down as both the robots eye's flashed of recollection, their memories flooding back to them...

And then Curly hugged Quote tightly, crying happily.

"O-oh my god, Q-Quote..." Curly sobbed. "I-I remember... we... we did it, didn't we?"

"We did..." Quote spoke, tears in his eyes. "We killed Miakid..."

"We stopped him from getting the chance to use the Crown..." Curly spoke.

Quote would nod, before being reminded. "We're not done yet though. The Doctor is still running rampant here."

Curly would nod. "And right now he's in possession of the Crown. So you know what that means."

Quote would nod, readying the Spur. "We take him out, just like our mission was years ago with Miakid." His smile disappeared. "First though, we have some business to take care of."

With that, the two would exit out of the hole and being their search around the Plantation for that safe house. With the Drolls increasing in numbers around the plantation, it made it hard for the two to exactly search for the safe house, bringing up a few close calls with the large orange creatures before Curly tripped through... a wall? At least, that's what the two thought it was, before finding out it was actually a hologram of a wall, a metal door with a hatch behind it.

"This must be the safe house..." Curly whispered, getting up. "Quite the elaborate setup to hide the place..." She would go up to the door and knock on it before the hatch opened up, showing a pair of eyes.

"What's the password?" The voice spoke, female and tired.

Curly started to open her mouth, and then she stopped. She didn't know the password.

But Quote did.

"Litagano Motscoud." Quote spoke to the figure behind the door, before the hatch shut on it. A few seconds later the door would crack open a bit, followed by a hushed woman's voice.

"In, quickly." The woman's voice spoke. Both Quote and Curly nodded before huddling into the small hideout. There wasn't much in the way of 'comfort' per se; the cave past the door was a somewhat small space, but still enough room for maneuverability around the area. In the center of the room was a white platform of some sorts, blue accents and white plating on a steel frame, looking like some sort of rocket platform, sitting directly under a hatch in the ceiling. Only a few lanterns illuminated the small room, also revealing a workbench and what appeared to be a white lab coat and black sweater thrown over a chair near a small laptop, wires running to the platform.

"This is... not quite what I was expecting..." Curly spoke.

"Apologies for the mess." The woman's voice spoke, the door shutting behind the two. "It's been a bit hard these past couple of days."

"I-it's fine ma'am." Quote spoke, before the two would turn around to see the woman that let them in; taller than the two robots with a toned body, green hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing only a black tanktop and jeans with boots, a bit of dirt and grease staining her tanned skin.

"So, you two must know of others resisting the Doctor?" The female spoke.

Quote would nod. "We're here to help take him down." He spoke. "Mrs. Sakamoto I presume?"

"Yes." The woman, Momorin, spoke. "I'm glad you two could come here; I'm in need of help with something I'm working on."

"Does it have anything to do with the platform thing right there?" Curly asked, pointing to the metal platform in the center of the room.

Momorin nodded in response. "There's a hole in the ceiling of the cave that leads right up to the Balcony of the island, where we first landed. The platform should be able to transport at least two figures up there, but I'm missing crucial components in order to finish it..."

"Like what?" Curly asked. "I'd think we'd be willing to go out and grab whatever's needed for it."

"I'm unsure that the Plantation here would have spare rocket boosters lying around in here." Momorin spoke. "The place is kept under tight watch; no supplies in or out of the place unless its the hibiscus."

Quote got an idea, taking off the Booster v2.0 and showing it to the green-haired female. "I've got this. Will this do?"

Momorin would take the Booster and look over it, examining it. "Given this is Professor Booster's work..." She spoke, a smile starting to come to her face. "This will be more than acceptable to work with the rocket technology to get this platform. I'll need a power source however..."

"No problem, I can grab one." Curly said, crossing her arms. "What do you have in mind?"

"There's a sprinkler or two out in the plantation that would work perfectly." Momorin spoke. "However, the Mimiga won't speak to anyone that isn't human unless its the Doctor himself." At that point she would pull a mask of a Mimiga head out from underneath the workbench before handing it to the female robot. "Use this disguise. I don't know quite what the intelligence is of the Mimiga, but this should be more than enough to fool them."

Curly would nod, taking the mask from Momorin and sliding it on, tucking her golden hair in to fill out the floppy Mimiga ears of the mask. Once all parts of her golden locks were tucked into the mask, she nodded to the green-haired woman. "Alright, I'll go to grab that sprinkler." She spoke, before heading out the door back into the plantation, keeping herself calm and collected as she kept her Machine Gun and Nemesis on her back as to not try to alert any of the other Mimiga. A couple of sprinklers would still be running as they were watering more of those demonic hibiscus, but Curly knew she couldn't take one of those; the Drolls would grow suspicious if she had taken one of those.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit!" A voice yelled, Curly identifying it as another Mimiga. She'd just crest over the hill nearby to see another Mimiga, angrily whacking an inactive sprinkler with a shovel. "Stupid fricking sprinkler!"

Curly would take notes of what's going on. She could assume the sprinkler was broken, which could mean...

"Hey, you!" Another voice yelled, which shocked Curly as it was another Mimiga nearby before it came over to her. "You a newbie here?"

"Uh... y-yeah?" Curly spoke, a bit caught off guard.

"Good, you're on time." The Mimiga spoke, looking to the other one smacking the sprinkler. "Ey, Mac! We got someone to take care of that thing!"

"Newcomer?" The Mimiga yelled, chucking the broken sprinkler to the two. "Have 'em take this stupid thing over to the camp and get a replacement!"

"Got it." The other Mimiga said, handing the broken sprinkler to the incognito robot. "Take this thing to the rest camp; ya can't miss it, just head to the right until ya see a tunnel into the little area!"

"A-alright..." Curly stumbled, starting to walk off to the right across a wooden bridge overlooking the reservoir below. The bridge lightly swayed from her weight as she kept walking towards the tunnel on the other side of the open chasm. Once across, she gave a sigh of relief as she soon carried the sprinkler through the tunnel and into the small camp. There wasn't a whole load of things within the camp; just a couple of beds, a few storage barrels and a couple of Mimigas scampering about. Near the back wall would be a massive array of sprinklers, one Mimiga working on an assortment of them. Figuring this was the Mimiga she needed to talk to, she approached the Mimiga with the broken sprinkler...

"Uh, excuse me?" Curly asked, setting the broken sprinkler down, causing a disgruntled mutter to come from the Mimiga before he turned to face her.

"Whaddaya want?" He said, clearly wanting to get this over with as soon as he could.

"I-I need a replacement sprinkl-" She was then interrupted as the Mimiga unexpectedly threw a new sprinkler into her hands, causing her to stumble backwards and nearly fall over.

"There, a fresh one." The Mimiga grunted, turning back to working on the other sprinklers. "Tell the buffoons out there to be more careful next time."

Curly would nod, even though she would know that he wouldn't see her nod and the fact that she had a fully-charged sprinkler; ripe for powering that rocket elevator platform. She left the camp without a word, starting back across the bridge...

 ** _*KRAK!*_**

Curly froze up. The bridge didn't make that sound earlier when she was crossing before...

She took another step...

...and then the bridge snapped as she plummeted into the cold water below. She hit the surface of the water with a loud smack; feeling pain course all throughout her body as she sunk to the bottom of the water with the sprinkler. feeling her feet finally touching the bed of the lake, she'd start to drag the sprinkler across the ground of the underwater reservoir as she neared the shore...

...and nearly ended up scaring the two Mimiga at the shoreline as she dragged it out.

"Oh my!" The one elder Mimiga said.

"AAAAAAH!" The smaller female one shrieked. Curly would look up to see a small young Mimiga and an elder Mimiga with grey bushy eyebrows and mustache.

"W-wait! I'm friendly!" Curly spoke, not even aware her masked had become waterlogged from her fall. "I-I don't mean harm! Honest!"

The smaller Mimiga was still shivering as Curly picked up the sprinkler, starting to carry it off. "The bridge broke back to the camp, so I gotta take this thing back to the group the long way!" Curly spoke, to try and deflect any sort of suspicion towards her as she started to make her way up towards where she knew the safe house was located. Keeping her confidence as high as she possibly could, she lugged the large sprinkler up part of the hill towards the one cave area before she ducked into the false wall, entering into the hideout after lugging the sprinkler next to the platform.

"Is that a working one?" Momorin would ask, kneeling down next to the machine.

"Should be." Curly spoke, taking off the waterlogged mask as her wet hair stuck to her face. "Might be slightly wet considering the bridge back broke..."

"A little water shouldn't hurt the engine needed for the platform." Momorin spoke, looking over the sprinkler. "Good, it's full on charge and it's not damaged; exactly what we need."

"So we just have to wait now?" Quote asked.

"Not quite..." Momorin said, starting to disassemble the sprinkler. "I'll need a controller from one of my old work associates named Itoh. It's going to be the only way this rocket will get off the ground."

A thought clicked in Quote's head. "I can go find him."

"Are you sure?" Momorin spoke.

Quote would nod in response. "I can find it in no time." He spoke, heading out of the hideout, leaving Curly and Momorin alone.

"You're looking a little waterlogged there sweetie." Momorin spoke calmly. "There's a bed in the back if you need the rest."

Curly would nod, stumbling to the back and flopping down onto the bed, shutting down into sleep mode as she gained some rest...

Quote meanwhile would reach back to the storage area of the Plantation where he had encountered the other Mimiga, entering into the room to find him again. "Itoh?" Quote spoke.

"That's me, yes." The Mimiga spoke. "Is something wrong?"

"Momorin is needing some sort of controller from you?" Quote spoke. "We're trying to build a rocket to get up to the Balcony, an-"

"Wait, she is alive and well?" Itoh spoke, hope starting to well up in his voice.

"Y-yeah, she-" Quote started before Itoh interrupted.

"Take me to her." Itoh spoke, earning a nod from a nod from Quote as the robot led the Mimiga to the safe house, entering into it after speaking the password again.

"Did you get the controller from Itoh?" Momorin spoke, not looking up from the rocket being worked on.

"He has done one better Momorin!" Itoh had spoke, causing the woman to turn around to see him. "It is good to see you alive and well-" He was interrupted as he was soon hugged by the green-haired woman.

"Thank the gods you're alright Itoh..." Momorin whispered, hugging the Mimiga tightly. Itoh merely hugged the woman in response as Quote moved towards the back of the cave, finding Curly asleep on the bed. Feeling a bit exhausted himself, he got onto the bed with Curly and powered down into sleep mode himself...

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Both Quote and Curly would power back on, feeling much more invigorated than before as they looked over to the rocket... which was now fully complete.

"Oh sweet, it's done?" Curly said, getting up as Quote slowly got to his feet.

Momorin nodded in response. "Everything should be ready for your ascent." She spoke, handing Quote back the Booster v2.0. "We'll try to follow after once everything is taken of down here, but time is running short."

Itoh nodded as well. "The Doctor has already amassed the Mimiga, meaning his plan must be coming close to its initiation."

"We'll stop him before that happens." Quote spoke, readying the Spur at his side. "I promise that."

"Alright." Momorin spoke. "Go ahead and step on the platform." Both robots would step on the platform; just enough room for the two to stand on it as the ceiling hatch opened above them, opening into the Plantation and revealing a massive shaft above them in the ceiling of the cavern. Both Quote and Curly steeled their nerves as they felt the platform below them start to rumble as the thrusters kicked in, starting to lift the two off the ground as they propelled towards the shaft in the ceiling...

...but would be unaware that their little rocket platform would end up tripping the security alarm system. Loud sirens blared as the rocket accelerated, the loud metal doors slamming behind the two one by one as the rocket barely managed to outspeed the dangerous crushing death...

...but would soon see their ride would come to an abrupt end soon if they didn't leap off. There were spikes dotting the ceiling right above where the rocket was heading for. Quote grabbed Curly and dotted off the platform with her mere seconds before the platform crashed into the ceiling, detonating as the last steel door slammed shut, the emergence lights coming on as they bathed the small cave in a red light.

"Nnnnngghh..." Curly groaned, holding her head. "Owww... gimmie a little warning next time Quote..."

"Sorry..." Quote spoke, before looking around the small cave room they were in. The cave was much colder compared to the rest of the island's caverns they had traversed; especially compared to the molten hot of the Sand Zone and the damp and darkness of the Labyrinth...

"Rurf!"

The bark would grab Quote and Curly's attention as they'd look over to see a dog on the other side of the room, wagging its tail with a Life Capsule in its mouth and another Life Pot near its left paw. Quote would immediately recognize the puppy...

"Nene?" Quote asked, approaching the dog, the canine tilting its head as it looked at Quote. "Is this for us?"

The dog nodded its head.

Quote smiled as he took the Life Pot and the Life Capsule from the puppy, it giving a small bark before it ran and squirmed through a small hole in the wall. With that done, Quote inserted the Life Capsule into his system, feeling himself growing a bit stronger.

No turning back now.

"Ready Curly?" Quote said, readying the Spur.

"As I've always been, Quote." She responded, giving a wink to him as she readied the Machine Gun and the Nemesis.

Quote smiled before the two rushed off into the last cave standing between them and the surface of the island...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 7 End**_


	9. Chapter 8: Break Down

The final cave the two had entered into was nothing like the two robots had experienced anywhere else on the island; the cave itself was a stark difference in temperature, below freezing as evident by the crystallized ice stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The cave itself was interlaced with ruined structures frozen over, ice spikes clinging onto them. A loud rumbling would be prevalent throughout the cavern, meaning there had to be some sort of machinery present within the cave. However, the big key point were the various assortment of pipes jutting through the ruined structures at odd angles, heading up towards the island's surface, a viscous red liquid slinking through them. And whatever that liquid was, it was setting Quote and Curlys' scanners off like crazy.

 ** _/DANGER! DANGER! EXTREME CONCENTRATION OF ARCANE ENERGY WITHIN VICINITY! CONTACT WITH SOURCE WILL BE FATAL!_**

"That can't be good..." Curly swallowed as the two started their trek into the frosty caves... and almost immediately came to an intersection, the cave trailing off into two separate tunnels. "Which way do we go?"

"I don't know... but I might have an idea." Quote said, looking between the two caves. "I'll take the left route, you go the right."

"You sure?" Curly asked. "What if something happens to either of us?"

Quote was about to interject with a response, before a new message came up in front of both of them.

 ** _/PARTNER UPLINK RESTORATION COMPLETE. CONNECT TO PARTNER? Y/N_**

As the two didn't have much of a choice at the moment, they both selected yes as the antennae on their headsets started to blink at the tips. After a few seconds, a new notification came up.

 ** _/UPLINK SUCCESSFUL._**

"Alright, might be able to communicate with eachother now..." Quote said. "So I take left, you take right, got it?"

Curly would nod as the two split off into their separate paths, heading into who knows what dangers ahead. It wouldn't be long before Quote met his first resistance; a pair of large red Power Critters like the ones from the Bushlands, but something seemed... off about them. Regardless, he aimed and charged up the Spur before opening fire, the Power Critters bursting into the viscous red goo before sinking into the ground. Keeping a level head, Quote would run past where he disposed of the two hazards before Activating the Booster v2.0, jetting underneath a low spiked ceiling and open pipes of the dangerous red goo before skidding to a stop on the other side. Keeping his head level and emotions to a minimum right now, he continued onwards before finding a scaffolding of several rumbling generators pumping the red liquid through it. Scaling the scaffolding, he started to wonder hoe Curly was faring on her path...

Curly, on her end, seemed to be having a much easier time compared to Quote as she charged through her end of the cavern before jumping and gripping onto a fence grating on the far wall, just above a pit of the viscous red liquid. The cold metal on the fencing didn't exactly help her all that much considering it made it a bit slippery as she struggled to scale up the it to a higher ledge. The temperature difference of the frosty cave was certainly having a bit of a worse effect on her stamina, seeing as how most of her reactivated time she was living in what essentially was the island's volcanic crater, but she kept her will high as she soon pulled herself up to the higher ledge, sprawling out onto the ground panting. After about a minute or two to regain her strength, she set out further into the cave before slipping a bit, finding out the ground below her was very icy. Trying to keep her composure, she'd keep her navigating as she started to ice-skate across the ground.

While Curly was doing that, Quote ducked through another narrow passage leading upwards, the icicle spikes just barely grazing past his right arm.

But that was more than enough for his systems to go haywire.

 _ **/DANGER! RIGHT ARM CRIPPLED BY 87.5% FROM INTENSE ARCANE CONTACT! STARTING AUTO-REPAIR DIAGNOSTICS...**_

Quote cursed to himself. That was his good shooting arm too...

Keeping his emotions as minimal as he possibly could, he continued his trek forward, dodging another set of the off-looking red Power Critters before bursting into a large chamber with only a small stone ruined platform and a massive load of red icicle spikes completely surrounding him... except for the top way above, a single hole in the ceiling showing an open hallway above. Readying his booster, Quote took off and shot through the hole in the ceiling, landing in the corridor above, to his left would be a hall leading into a larger pocket; to his right would be a rumbling machine and a dead end. Seeing as the right was not an option, he headed for the left and dropped into a large open room, several canisters containing the same viscous red liquid on the ceiling. In the center of the room was a red monster figure, garbed in green and missing a fang of its mouth as laser-like barriers erected at the exits to the room. The ogre gave out a roar as it soon threw three pinwheeling vegetables straight for Quote.

The robot cursed to himself before opening fire on the creature, dodging out of the way of the thrown vegetables before opening fire on the Red Ogre. The ogre roared in response before leaping upwards and spewing out more of the pinwheeling vegetables. Quote would duck out of the way as he opened fire above on the ogre, but most of his shots missed... and collided with the canisters, spewing the viscous red liquid straight down onto the Red Ogre. It roared in pain as the liquid quickly overtook the creature, absorbing it into itself before the goo just sat there... unmoving.

Quote panted to himself as he felt like he had barely dodged a bullet before moving on past the room and towards the next hall, unaware of the goo in the room sinking into the floor...

* * *

Curly herself had just gotten up a steep slope of the icy cave as she slipped into a larger room, falling flat on her rear as she moaned in pain. Getting up, she then noticed the red goo dripping down from the ceiling and lept back, remembering what her readings had said about its lethal arcane energy concentration.

But that couldn't prepare her for what came next.

The goo started to mold... and take form. The goo had packed itself into a figure that soon towered over curly, and almost grazed the ceiling of the room. Its shape was humanoid... but with a rather wide torso section, and no head. A single, black eye with a red ring iris opened up on the creature's body, staring down at Curly.

Curly at this point was paralyzed with fear as she looked at the creature with abject horror. Then the creature closed its eye, soon morphing into a gigantic goo bal and starting to bounce around the room. Curly snapped out of her paralysis and dodged out of the way, opening fire on the massive creature, but the shots were merely absorbed into its gooey skin. The viscous liquid ball then stopped bouncing, landing back on the ground and reopening its eye before firing off several energy shots straight for Curly. The female robot dodge-rolled to the side before opening fire with her Machine Gun right at the eye of the creature. It seemed to wince in pain as it took the shots, telling Curly all the information she needed to know.

That was it's weak spot.

Curly would keep herself tight as the creature closed its eye and morphed back into a gooey blob. The blob would then split up into several smaller blobs, flinging themselves straight at Curly in an erratic fashion. The robot would dodge-roll out of the way, barely avoiding contact with the spheres as they rematerialized back into the giant gooey form at the other end of the room. It would then charge up energy in its single eye as it soon fired off a massive laser straight at Curly. The robot dodged out of the way as the laser seared across the rocky wall, leaving burnt rock in its wake before Curly used her Nemesis and opened fire on the eye. The creature screeched in pain as it gripped its eye, covering it from the Nemesis shots. Curly smirked; it _really_ didn't like those shots!

The gooey creature slunk back into its ball form as it bounced around the room once again, the bounces shaking the cavern as the icicles from the ceiling started to wiggle loose...

Soon enough the icicles would break off and start falling to the floor, striking and impaling themselves into the ground as the gooey blob absorbed them into itself. Curly internally cursed to herself as she duck-rolled out of the way of the bouncing red blob. Once the blob landed again it remorphed into the giant figure, it's single eye opening once again to take aim and fire at Curly. Curly would fire off another burst of electrical shots from the Nemesis as it collided with the creature's eye, causing it to roar in pain as it stumbled backwards, before the red-tipped icicle spikes surfaced onto its body before it shot them out in a deadly volley. Curly managed to duck... and missed the spike by mere millimeters as it embedded into the wall behind her. The girl growled as she got to her feet again, unloading another round of Nemesis shots into the creature's eyes as it fumbled backwards in pain. Curly held her position as she unloaded more Nemesis shots into the goo creature's eye before it destabilized before exploding, sending goo everywhere as Curly ducked behind a rock formation as the goo splashed all across the room. The robot girl shivered before dashing out from behind the rock, heading for the exit to the cavern.

Soon enough the two robots would meet up to the mouth of the cavern, both panting heavily as they leaned against the cave wall, next to a final door. "So..." Quote panted. "How'd your end go?"

"Some sort of... giant red gooey creature thing attacked me." Curly panted. "I'm pretty sure its dead by this point, but..."

"Point is, we're here and alive right now." Quote said, readying the Spur. "Once we head through here, we're not going back. You ready?"

Curly would nod, readying her Machine Gun. "As much as I'll ever be." She spoke.

Quote nodded, grabbing the door handle and forcing the door open as light flooded into the cave...

* * *

The wind howled as the two robots stepped out onto the Balcony, the sun now starting to beat down on them as they surveyed their surroundings; the sky was a dirty grey, darker grey clouds flowing by below the entire island. In front of them, about a couple hundred meters away stood the old ruined castle, the banners still flapping from the howling wind. Ruined structures and walkways laid in waste around the surrounding area, and Quote could make out what appeared to be a house and a twin-blade helicopter ahead of them.

"Woah..." Curly breathed, looking around. "The war seriously left this place in ruins..."

"No kidding..." Quote spoke, looking around at the ruined structures before looking straight at the castle. "And by process of elimination, that castle is where we'll find the Doctor."

"Likely." Curly spoke. "There's nowhere else on the Island he could be based."

Quote nodded in response as the two robots began their long trek up towards the castle. Silence would be hanging in the air for a few minutes before Curly spoke again.

"Hey... Quote?"

"Yeah Curly?"

"What are you gonna do once this is all over?" Curly asked, looking at him.

Quote was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well... once our mission is fulfilled." Curly spoke. "I mean... you don't have a place to return to, do you?"

Quote thought... and it occurred to him. All he really had was waking up back in that small cave, and next to nothing else. He had nowhere to go to; no one else to live with...

"...you don't, do you?" Curly asked.

Quote shook his head.

"Well..." Curly blushed. "Maybe you and I could live together once this entire adventure is over?"

Quote blushed at the thought, but nodded his head. "Curly, I'd love that."

The female robot nodded before looking back. They were only a few feet from the entrance by this point, so they readied their arms and got to the sides of the doorway. Motioning to Quote, who responded with a nod, soon Curly and Quote burst into the throne room... only to find the Doctor wasn't there...

"Damnit, were we wrong?" Curly spoke, looking around the abandoned throne room. "There's no one here..."

"Shoot..." Quote said to himself. "I don't understand though, where could he be?"

"Oh don't worry, he's still here." A female voice said from nowhere, before Misery materialized standing on top of the throne. "And he's... well... let's just put 'very displeased' about your two's progress."

Quote aimed the Spur right at Misery. "Stand down. We don't have any more time to waste on our hands."

"Hmph, not like I have a choice in the matter." Misery said, leaping down and standing in front of the throne. "Believe me, I couldn't care less about what you would do to him at this point."

"What?" Curly asked.

"I've grown tired of this entire Crown curse, it's wearing on me harder than anything else." Misery responded. "It's a vicious cycle; someone comes for the crown for the power and unleash Balrog and myself, we do their bidding, they eventualy die at one point or another, or the Crown is destroyed, and Balrog and I are just trapped back into a frozen stasis again. And no matter how many times that damn Crown is destroyed, it always re-manifests itself back onto the throne; its impossible to destroy."

"So... you're just gonna let us through to the Doctor?" Quote asked.

"Soldier, I _wish_ it was that simple." Misery spoke. "But, by orders of the Doctor, I have to fight intruders that try to come close to him. So... don't take offense to this you two, but I'm just having to follow orders."

"Well... none taken." Quote said, nodding before firing his Spur at Misery. The witch would teleport out of the way before floating around the room, a set of black rings orbiting her. She'd keep a moment to gather her bearings before she fired out a series of black energy shots at the two robots. Curly would dodge-roll to the side before firing off her Machine Gun, most of the shots plinking off the black rings but a few would directly hit Misery herself, causing the witch to grunt in pain before she teleported again, the rings turning into red energy bats and making a divebomb for Quote. The male bot would grit his teeth as he took aim and blasted the bats out of the skies before turning his attention to Misery.

Misery would float back as another set of black rings appeared around her, swinging in an armored motion as her staff started to glow again, this time several large blocks appeared above the two robots and started dropping to the floor, intending to crush them. Quote charged the Spur as he dodged out of the way of the falling stone blocks, firing off the massive laser blast at the witch, colliding straight into the chest of the witch and knocking her to the ground. Smoke curled off her chest as she rose back into the air, her top singed square in the center from the laser shot. Gritting her teeth she soon teleported again, the rings now being flung straight at Quote as he dodged them before they embedded into the ground.

Curly's fingers twitched a bit before she whirled around, firing a Nemesis shot right at the sound source as it crashed into one of Misery's rings. The witch narrowed her eyes before she raised her staff, the gem in it glowing a bright red before a laser fired off across the floor, leaving a burning scotch across the floors the laser kicked up energy pulses upward into the air. Curly rolled out of the way before firing off a couple more shots of the Nemesis, striking the rings of the witch before she fired a massive red energy blast at Curly. The female robot would dodge-roll to the side before firing off another series of Nemesis shots at Misery, these shots colliding and throwing her off her concentration... right as Quote lept up and stabbed Misery straight through the chest with the Blade, the two crashing to the ground.

Misery twitched a bit, feeling the cold steel piercing through her chest as blood started to fill her lungs, causing her to cough up a bit. She knew she could attempt to heal herself once Quote dislodged the Blade from her chest...

"H-heh..." Misery laughed a bit. "W-well p-p-played..." She could start to feel the world growing dark around her as Quote pulled the Blade from her chest.

"A deal's a deal Misery." Quote said. "The Doctor. Now."

"R-r-r... right..." The witch coughed out as a bit of blood trailed from her mouth, raising her staff up as a staircase slid out from the ceiling above the entrance and an entryway in the ceiling opened up. Quote and Curly nodded to eachother before they took off up the stairwell, leaving the witch to herself a blood pooled around her body. Weakly raising her staff, a green aura would surround herself as the blood evaporated from her body and her strength came back to her... but the scars of her wounds still remained. Using her staff as a cane, she pulled herself to her feet with it and used it as support as she looked at the staircase.

"They're definitely the ones..." Misery whispered, teleporting out of the room. "They're the ones who can end this..."

* * *

As the two robots reached the top of the stairs, they would see the multitude of cages lining the walls, filled with cowering Mimiga in fear of what the figure near the massive stone table near the center of the room, was working on something red glowing on it.

Quote would hold the Spur steady, aiming the Spur at the figure as Curly did the same with her Nemesis.

"...hmph, I should have expected that wench would fail her duties with you two around." The Doctor merely spoke, turning to face the two. "It's no surprise you would come to stop me."

Quote would grit his teeth, keeping his aim on the Doctor as he spoke nothing.

"...not one for words, are you?" The Doctor spoke, a sickening smirk growing on his face as he held up a elongated red crystal, imperfect in shape and sparking with corrupted red energy. "Then perhaps you'll be the new test subjects for a new creation of mine..."

Curly aimed her blaster at the crystal. "And just what the hell is that?" She spat.

"This?" The Doctor spoke. "A culmination of condensed Hell's Hibiscus energy, compacted into a compact form to be able for a human, such as myself, to use. The Mimigas may have their flowers for it, but with its arcane energy bringing out an individual's latent abilities... it was a perfect compound for bringing a human's latent powers into fruition. Do you know what this means?"

Quote and Curly would be tense as they kept their aim steady on the Doctor.

"No?" The Doctor said. "Well... allow me to give you both a special demonstration!" At that point his body soon gained a red tint as the crystal started to swirl around him, the power of the Hell's Hibiscus flowing into him as he stared down Quote and Curly. Soon enough he'd unleash a red helix energy blast straight at the two robots, them both dodging to the side as the Doctor teleported to a different location, standing on top of one of the Mimiga cages, firing off another blast at Curly. The female bot would dodge-roll to the side as part of the shot grazed by her arm, but she fought through the pain as she unloaded a magazine of her Machine Gun's energy bullets right into the Doctor... but it didn't even seem to leave a scratch, and some just seemed to plink off the crystal revolving his body.

"!" Curly gasped. "H-he just took that?!"

The Doctor merely grinned, the eye on the Crown starting to glow before a series of electrical burst shots fired at Curly. The female tensed up and dodged to the side, but the shots split apart upon contact with the back wall, sending the scattering electric balls everywhere. Quote tensed up as he whipped the Missile Launcher off his back and took aim before firing a massive burst shot set, the missiles slamming into the Doctor and several of the electrical balls, disintegrating those completely.

But the Doctor? When the smoke cleared, it was as if he had merely encountered a mild annoyance as he gave Quote a smug grin.

"!" Quote grunted. "That crystal's affecting our ability to hit him!"

"WE can't get rid of it though!" Curly yelled. "Our shots are absorbed by it!"

Quote would think fast as another helix shot was fired at him, barely managing to dodge out of the way in time as he slung the Missile Launcher back onto his back, now gripping tightly to the Spur. He gritted his metal teeth as he tried to think of a desperate idea for an opening on the Doctor...

And at just that moment a lightbulb went off in his head. What if...

He'd pull the second trigger to dispatch a new set of the Whimsical Star, then he'd charge the Spur again, getting up to a Level 3 charge as Curly distracted the Doctor. Once the Spur hit that sweet spot, Quote would leap out from behind his cover and fire...

...right into the Demon Crown on the Doctor's head.

The Doctor staggered back in pain, clearly not liking the feeling of the Crown getting shot as he teleported again, reappearing in the air between the two bots as he unleashed a massive flurry of red energy shots in all directions of the room. Quote and Curly would barely dodge behind a set of empty cages as the red shots flew past, disintegrating on the walls.

"The Crown." Quote whispered to Curly. "Aim for the Crown."

Curly nodded in response as she holstered her Machine Gun and whipped out the Nemesis, signalling to Quote she was ready before the two leaped out from behind the cages, both in opposite directions as the Doctor would charge up two electrical orbs in his hands. Quote charged a Spur shot as Curly aimed for the Crown and opened fire, each searing shot from the Nemesis hitting the Crown frequently and causing the Doctor to grow more and more irritated. Soon enough the Doctor would slam the orbs into the ground, creating a rapidly expanding electrical fence outwards at both Quote and Curly. The scout robots would leap inbetween the gaps in the fence as Quote unloaded another Spur laser straight into the Crown. This time the Doctor seriously stumbled back in pain and frustration.

"Why you..." The Doctor growled. But he never got to finish that sentence as the Crown started to glow and sink further onto the Doctor's head, completely covering his eyes as a sickening series of cracks and snaps were heard across his body as his muscle mass increased, his lab coat shredding entirely as he soon stood nearly twice the height of the two, sharp teeth lining its mouth as a viscous red liquid started to drip from it. And now the eye on the Crown was looking straight at them...

The new Doctor let out a roar as it attempted to shoulder-tackle Curly. The female scout would dodge-roll out of the way before firing more shots at the Crown on the head... but this time it seemed to be ineffective.

"Change of strategy Quote!" Curly yelled. "We need a plan to take this thing down quick before it brings the whole place down on us!"

Quote's internal thought process ran like mad as he tried to calculate out any and all possible situations before the 'Doctor' slammed his hands in the ground, unleashing a deadly wave of red spikes straight for Quote. Nearly being caught off guard, the robot barely dodged out of the way in time before the spikes sprung up where he was previously standing. The 'Doctor' would let out another roar before charging at Quote, but this time the robot was prepared as he unleashed a Spur blast straight into the eye of the Crown. The 'Doctor staggered backwards again, leaving Curly an opening as she unleashed another magazine of energy bullets right into the Crown's eye. The creature would roar in pain, gripping the Crown before it started to disintegrate into a blood-red mist, almost as if the Doctor, Crown and all, was being wiped from existence as the crystal soon escaped into the ceiling above, out of sight.

Curly exhaled hard. "That was _way_ too close to comfort..."

"Agreed." Quote said, walking over and using the Blade to pry open the other cages of the Mimigas, most of the little lop-eared creatures scampering out of the room as soon as Quote freed them... except for one he'd recognize.

"Gotta hand it to ya, you definitely had it in both of you to take the Doctor down." Chaco spoke, walking out of the cage. "I'm impressed by both your fighting skills!"

"Uhh... thanks?" Curly asked, confused before Quote spoke.

"Chaco, have you seen Sue?" Quote asked.

"Sue?" Chaco asked. "You mean that human girl that was turned into a Mimiga?"

"Yes, wher-" Quote started, before he processed what the lilac Mimiga said. "Wait, you knew she wasn't a Mimiga?"

"My eyes can't be fooled." Chaco said, crossing her arms. "She's not here though. I'm not sure where she would be."

"Then get to safety." Curly said. Chaco nodded in response as she fled where the other Mimigas went, soon a stairwell dropping from the ceiling leading upwards again. The two would ready their arms before advancing forward up the stairs...

* * *

The room above was large and dark... in fact it was like this floor of the castle was completely in a void, with open walls and only a ceiling and floor in the room itself. the one back wall would have a grating over it, and hanging in it was none other than the Core itself, now a darker blue from only being half-alive.

Curly would nudge to Quote. "Looks like the one original target is up ahead."

Quote would look to the Core, nodding in response. "I think it's about time we end this nightmare, agreed?" He spoke.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Curly spoke, drawing her Nemesis as the two approached the Core. But as soon as the two got within range to finish the job...

"H-hey! Hold it right there!" A female voice said as Misery soon warped in front of the two, blocking their path with her arms outstretched. "Not a step closer to the Core!"

Quote sighed in frustration. "Misery, get out of our way. We don't have time for this." He said, taking aim at Misery with the Spur.

"You're not getting closer!" Misery spat back. "I may not have much care for this rock, but the last thing I want is for it to drop out of the sky and kill everyone on it!"

Curly gritted her teeth. "And what makes you think we'll back off?" She barked.

Misery sighed. "You forced me..." She'd then raise her staff...

...and Sue was then warped right next to her, dropping to the ground.

"!" Quote grunted on instinct.

"Owwww..." Sue moaned in pain, before Misery grabbed her by the back of her collar before pressing the tip of the staff into her neck.

"One step closer to the Core and the girl's life is forfeit." Misery growled. "You understand? If you value her life, _stand down_."

Quote gritted his teeth, stepping back and reholstering his gun, as Curly did the same. "Dirty trick Misery." Curly spat.

"Not like I have a choice with you two." Misery spoke. "If you want to guarantee the girl's life, we'll make a deal. Understood?"

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Curly responded, glaring at the witch.

"I'll give you the Mimiga girl, but only after you take care of a singular problem persisting." Misery spoke. "You two break the curse of the Crown."

"But we already destroyed the Crown!" Curly spoke.

"And it will only be a matter of time before it reincarnates." Misery growled. "Did you two not listen to me back down in the throne room? It doesn't matter how many times you destroy the Crown, it always comes back! The only way to destroy that Crown is to break the curse at its source!"

"D-don't I get a say in this?!" Sue whimpered, shaking a bit from her captive position.

"Silence." Misery spat, before looking at Quote and Curly. "Do we have a deal?"

Quote was silent, glaring at Misery and clenching his fists before his shoulders slumped, letting out an exasperated sigh. In this situation, he knew he couldn't attack Misery and the Core without risk of Sue dying. "Fine. You have a deal."

"Good." Misery said, tossing Sue to the two, which Curly caught the Mimiga in her arms. "Now, you two leave this room and he-"

 _ **"Have them head where, you filthy little wench?"**_ A voice spoke, causing all four in the room to freeze.

Misery's pupils shrank. "N-no..." She whispered.

 _ **"Yes..."**_ The voice spoke as a red mist materialized up through the floor behind Misery. _**"Going behind the back of you Master even more than you already have?"**_

Misery whirled around to look at the red mist, fear in her eyes. "Y-you should be dead! How..."

 ** _"The power of the crystal is truly a marvel!"_** The mist spoke, swirling around in it's spot as Sue cowered behind Curly. **_"Even with my body disintegrated I feel... so alive! So powerful! It's as if I ascended to become a god!"_**

 _"_ Nnnnrghh!" Misery grunted, readying her staff. "I don't know how the hell you cheated death, but I won't allow this spirit of yours to live any longer! Disappear!" Misery would have her staff fire several blasts at the mist... only for it to go right through and hit the grating on the back wall.

"Wh-what?!" Misery gasped.

 ** _"Tsk tsk, Misery."_** The Doctor's ominous voice echoed. **_"You dare try to defy your master in such a way?"_**

"You're a monster!" Misery growled back.

 _ **"You can't be helped."**_ The voice spoke again as the mist closed in on her. **_"Those who dare to defy their master need not of their free will..."_**

Misery's fear started to spike. "N-no, please!"

 _ **"Misery."**_ The Doctor's voice spoke, the red mist starting to surround her. **_"Until the day you die, you_ will _be my puppet."_** And then the mist engulfed her, the witch screaming in agony as the other three started to back off, Misery's form changing and mutating into some sort of draconic creature as parts of her outfit ripped and shredded around the arms, her face unnatually extending to a draconic maw of sorts...

"H-hey... I think it might be a good time to hightail it outta here!" Sue yelled as she started to break out into a sprint towards the stairwell.

But she didn't get far before the Red Crystal shot out of the ground, impaling her square in the back as she hit the ground hard, blood splattering across it.

 ** _"And just where do you think you're going?"_** The Doctor's voice spoke. **_"You and your family has been a thorn in my side ever since I've gotten to the island. Once I dispose of the biggest threats here, I'll be getting the satisfaction of having the rest of your family's blood on your hands before I eventually dispose of you..."_**

"Wh-what?!" Sue choked out, feeling the searing pain of the crystal throughout her body as she started to feel it change her...

 ** _"How fitting; the Sakamotos being undone by their own daughter."_** The Doctor's voice spoke as Sue's form mutated into what was a half-human half-Mimiga hybrid, increasing in size over the two robots as her sweater shredded, merely becoming tattered blue cloth around her furry torso and forearms. Her blood-red irises within her eyes glared daggers at Quote and Curly, a low guttural growl rumbling in her throat.

The Doctor's maniacal laughter would fill the room as Quote and Curly drew their weapons, keeping their backs together as both their eyes searched the room, trying to find the Doctor's presence...

And nearly both their metallic hearts stopped when the Core's central eye pod opened, seeing a blood-red skull-like face in the black space of the Core, the empty sockets staring straight into their robotic souls.

 ** _"AND AS FOR YOU TWO..."_** The Doctor's voice bellowed, amplified as the room started to turn red, the void turning to swirling red gasses as the Undead Core glared directly at both of them. **_"YOU WON'T BE LEAVING HERE ALIVE!"_**

Both Quote and Curly's eyes would widen as soon the duo were attacked by the possessed Sue and Misery, the mutated draconic witch taking to the air as Sue would start spinning in a cartwheeling fashion towards the two.

"Split up!" Curly yelled, both she and Quote leaping out of the way of the cartwheeling Sue and skidding to a halt a few feet away from the moving Undead Core. The massive creature was lobbing molten rocks onto the ground and ceiling, the collisions creating bursting shockwaves travelling along the surfaces towards the two robots. Quote would jump up out of the way before landing on a floating stone platform, being suspended in the air by the fight ongoing. Curly opened fire with the Machine Gun on the creature... but its face closed back into the Core, avoiding damage entirely.

Sue would let out a roar before charging straight for Quote, and the scout robot froze up. Possessed or not, it was still Sue in that form, and he couldn't risk killing her. As he dodged out of the way of the mutants attacks, he needed to come up with a strategy that could neutralize her without killing her.

Misery, meanwhile, soon had her rings out and rotating her again, now in a more erratic fashion as she took aim and unleashed a flurry of red energy shots straight for Curly. The female scout robot tensed up as she dodge-rolled out of the way of most of the shots, the red shots disintegrating on the ground before she opened fire on Misery, the energy bullets riddling her body as the staggered backwards in the air, the eyes affixed squarely on the scout robot. Her large hands would outstretch to her sides as she soon spawned a flurry of fish missiles, spiraling straight towards the blonde. Curly would dodge some, but would then be blasted by two of the missiles and be thrown to the side, sprawling across the ground.

Sue would gnash her teeth, soon warp-dashing to behind Quote and gripping him hard, biting hard into his metallic shoulder. The male scout screamed in pain as he dropped his gun, trying to flail to get Sue off of him, but each squirm just made her latch on harder. Quote could start to feel his systems reaching critical levels; Sue had to be gotten of Quote soon or else he _would_ shut down.

At that point Curly would have gotten up, starting to be cornered by Misery. Upon looking over and seeing Quote in his predicament, Curly would pistol-whip Misery square in the face and sprinted towards the other two as she tackled Sue off of Quote, the male scout collapsing to the ground, gripping his metallic shoulder in pain as it was sparking wildly. Curly would hold the rabid girl down as she yelled to Quote.

"Hey!" Curly yelled. "Get over here and pull this crystal out of her back! Quick!"

Quote, wasting no time, quickly rushed over and grabbed ahold of the red crystal currently lodged in Sue's back as Curly restrained her, the possessed Mimiga lashing out angrily with teeth gnashing and squirming to try and break free. Yanking as hard as he could, he could feel the crystal start to budge as the red object started to wedge out. Sue let out a scream of agony as the red crystal sparked before unleashing an electrical blast, throwing the two off of her as she soon started spinning in place, a red aura surrounding her before she took off and... dissappeared into the smoky red walls?

Curly moaned in pain. "Wh-where'd she go?!" She said, only for Sue to burst from the wall from the other side, now ricocheting around the room like a dangerous misfire from a cannon. All the while the Undead Core remained closed, unable to be injured...

Quote would get an idea, unsheathing the Blade and holding it flat side out like it was a baseball bat, waiting for Sue to spin close in that deadly corkscrew she was doing. Once she was barreling directly for him, Quote clamped his eyes shut and swung hard...

...as the flat side of the Blade collided directly with Sue and sent the spinning Mimiga straight into the Undead Core's main face, causing the entire hulking creature to move backwards in the air as the center of the pod opened again, this time a nasty grimace showing in the orifice as the smaller pods around it now had a single unblinking red eye in each of them, firing of red energy shots that spiraled out of control, adding to the chaos of Misery's summoned fish missiles. Gritting her teeth, Misery got to her feet and rushed for the Spur Quote dropped before scooping it up in her hands, activating a charge and soon firing a Level 3 blast straight into the uncanny maw of the Undead Core. The creature took severe damage before it quickly closed back up, blocking its weak spot before Misery and Sue continued their assault.

Quote was panting heavily, sheathing the Blade and pulling out the Missile Launcher before firing off a burst shot at Misery, the draconic creature groaning in agony from the shots before her eyes flashed, teleporting out of the room before blocks would start erratically falling from the ceiling. Curly would scramble to Quote and grab him before the two ducked underneath a platform, the bricks smashing against that as the others would smash outside.

"Nnnnngghh..." Quote moaned, holding his head in pain. "Owwww..."

"You okay Quote?" Curly asked, handing him the Spur.

"A-a little bit more electrified then I'd like to be..." The male scout merely responded, taking the cobalt gun from Curly. "We gotta get that crystal out of Sue..."

"Get her into another trapped position, and I'll yank that thing out of her." Curly spoke. Quote nodded in response before the two dashed out from their cover as the possessed Misery rematerialized, now summoning a horde of bats that flew at the two. Curly whipped her Machine Gun out and opened fire on the bats, the creatures disintegrating into red powder. Sue lunged for Quote, bearing her teeth before the robot just barely dodged out of the way of her lunge, soon pinning her to the ground.

"Curly!" Quote yelled, struggling to hold Sue down. "I got her! Hurry!" The female scout would rush over quickly before grabbing the crystal and pulling as hard as she could, feeling her servos whirling loudly before the crystal ripped right out of Sue's back, the Mimiga collapsing to the ground unconscious. Curly would then throw the crystal hard into the swirling red void walls, never to be seen again in the fight.

 _One down. Two to go._

Quote would hoist the unconscious Mimiga onto his back. "I'll get her away from the main fight, you deal with Misery!" He said, getting a simple nod from Curly as he took off for the back of the room as Curly got out the Nemesis, taking aim and opening fire on Misery. The draconic figure growled before sharply inhaling, unleashing a stream of fire from its mouth at Curly. The scout robot would dodge to the side... only for the fire to singe right through her hair and shorten it to her shoulders.

Curly glared angrily at the possessed Misery. "Oh you are _so_ dead." She growled, opening fire with both her Machine Gun and her Nemesis onto the draconic witch. The witch would then be riddled with the shots before collapsing to the ground, panting heavily before roaring, lunging at Curly. Curly would duck under the lunge before delivering a smashing kick straight to the witch's abdomen, causing her to screech as she was flung away right as Quote came back.

"She safe?" Curly asked.

Quote nodded. "And she's already shrunk back. I think she'll be fine." He spoke, before looking back at the Undead Core, the blood red face now reappearing. Quote made his move and rushed for the pod as it began to shoot its bomb rocks again, the shockwaves travelling fast along the floor towards the bots. Quote hurdled the first wave sent before leaping up, using the Booster v2.0 and taking aim with the Missile Launcher before firing...

...and the possessed Misery would warp in and take all the shots instead of the Undead Core, causing her to collapse to the ground. Quote lept back as the Undead Core resealed itself again, its pods still rotating around it in a clockwise fashion.

Quote gritted his teeth as Curly ran up beside him. The two were going to be stuck in a stalemate unless they could goad the Undead Core into firing...

Then the front of the Undead Core opened, showing a open red maw that apparently led into a void. Quote and Curly tensed up before they saw it glow, then dodged out of the way as a barrage of large searing shots rocketed by them through the wall. Quote had one shot as he got the Spur charging, hitting a Level 3 Max charge as he rolled out of the way of another barrage of the searing shots then unleashing the thick white hot beam straight down the throat of the massive beast. The Undead Core sealed up again, evident it was reaching its last legs as when it reopened, it was a single, unblinking blood-red eye as the same eyes appeared in all the smaller core pods as well. The smaller core pods would start spinning faster and faster as energy built up in front of the pupils of each pod, progressively getting bigger and bigger...

"HIT THE DECK!" Curly screamed, tackling Quote to the ground as the Undead Core fired of a massive blood-red energy laser blasted from all the pod eyes, smashing through the far wall of the castle's void floor and breaking out as the entire room started to shake. Their structural integrity had been compromised; they needed to bring this thing down fast.

Curly opened fire on the eyes at it charged up for another mega laser, her Machine Gun eating through it's energy-based ammo like mad as her other hand fired off the Nemesis's searing energy shots straight for its eye. Quote meanwhile used the Booster v2.0 and blasted into the air, gripping the Spur in his one hand as he activated the Fireball in the other, a large blue-heat ball charged in it as he threw it harshly right as the Spur hit another Level 3 charge. Then in quick succession, he took aim and fired the Spur laser right at the Fireball shot...

...right as he was lined up with the eye of the Undead Core. The two shots merged into one as it soon erupted into a swirling blue vortex laser heading straight and colliding into the Undead Core's eye, the creature roaring in pain as the eyes exploded into a blood-red mist, the burning exterior creating a foul smell as the Undead Core collapsed to the ground. The Doctor's voice soon spoke again, thought very much out of it...

 ** _"GAAAAAAHH!"_** The Doctor roared. _**"WHY WON'T YOU TWO ROBOTS JUST DIE?!"**_

"It's going to take a lot more than just a couple of terror tricks to phase us you bastard!" Curly spat at the Doctor. The two would then be met with... laughter? Maniacal laughter started to fill the room as the Core started to glow an ominous red.

 _ **"TERROR?! JUST TERROR?! YOUINSIGNIFICANTPUNYLITTLERUNTSI'LLSHOWYOUWHATATERRORISALLABOUTFROMAGODASSUCHASMYSELF!"**_ The Doctor's consciousness spouted in a nonsensical rambling as the glowing got brighter. By this point Sue would have already fled out the opened hole to the lower rooms at this point while Misery herself was warped away elsewhere. **"JUSTDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE-"** At this point the Undead Core's husk would be glowing a bright bloody red.

"We need to run Quote!" Curly yelled, earning a nod in response from the male scout robot as the two took back off for the lower portions of the caste just as the Undead Core violently detonated...

* * *

"The helicopter is good to go!" Itoh said, leaping out of the side door and landing on the ground as Momorin rushed over to the helicopter, the blades now running at full power. "We can be set for departure at any time! We should have enough fuel to make it back to the surface!"

"Good." Momorin spoke, worry evident on her face. "I'm just hoping that those robots had gotten out here alive..."

"M-MOM!" A familiar voice cried as Momorin felt something grip to her leg. That something was none other than Sue reverted to normal with her now shredded blue sweater. "Oh my god, m-mom..."

Momorin would pick up the Mimiga, hugging Sue gently. "It's going to be okay Sue... your mother's here..."

But the reunion wouldn't last for long; soon enough the island would start rumbling as a large blast came from the top story, several large stone blocks started to fall from the castle, crashing into the island's Balcony.

"WH-WHAT ON EARTH?!" Itoh exclaimed.

"Something must have happened to the Core!" Momorin spoke, scooping Sue up into her arms and moving into the helicopter. "Itoh! We can't waste any more time, we must move!"

"Right!" The Mimiga said, hopping into the pilot's seat of the copter and starting to move it, the massive aviator vehicle starting to lurch a bit.

"Wait, mom! The robots!" Sue spoke.

"We can't stay Sue!" Momorin responded. Sue would look back out towards the Balcony with worrying eyes as the chopper lifted off into the air...

* * *

Down near the Outer Wall, the rumbling occurred as several of the metal structures started to creak and groan under the stress of the collapsing island. Kazuma would look up at the ceiling of the island's underside.

"He actually did it..." He whispered to himself. "I didn't think he could do it... but he did..."

But now was not the time for pondering; now was the time for fleeing. With little wasting of time, Kazuma would mount the Sky Dragon on the metal runway before the dragon took off for the air, headed for the Balcony of the island...

* * *

Both Quote and Curly would be scrambling for safety as they burst out of the front of the castle entrance, making a mad dash for the edge of the island where they came up... but soon a new reading came up on their scanners.

And it almost made their metallic hearts skip a beat.

 _ **/CROWN SOURCE IDENTIFIED! MISSION STATUS REACTIVATED!**_

"Curly!" Quote yelled.

"I know!" The blonde responded back as soon a massive piece of the tower came down, crashing in front of the two and blocking their path. Turning and running in the opposite direction, another massive chunk would crash down, blocking the way they came. Running out of options, the two dove into the Prefab House right as another massive chunk of wall crashed right down, blocking the way back. In front of the two would be a massive gaping hole, heat particles rising from it as the rest of the surrounding Prefab House continued to collapse around it.

And of course, the scanner would be going nuts indicating the source was down said hole.

"Well..." Curly swallowed. "This is it Quote..."

Quote nodded. "Our old abandoned mission... we're finally completing it." He'd look over to Curly. "Tow Rope?"

"Tow Rope." Curly responded, soon getting the entire rope set up, the Iron Bond patch on the hooping part for good luck.

Quote would take a deep inhale. "Alright... make or break time... let's go." He spoke. He took one step off the edge...

...and went into a freefall with Curly as the two plunged to the depths of floating hell.

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 8 End**_


	10. Chapter 9: Running Hell

Quote could feel the heat rush past the two as they descended into the bowels of the island, the drop getting narrower and narrower as the lethal red spikes started to close in around the two. The blocks would start to turn orange as the island continued its collapse, Quote activating the Booster v2.0 and weaving through the spiky corridors before skidding to a stop on a slanted piece of ground to let the Booster recharge as he started sliding downwards towards another bed of red-tipped spikes. Quote held firm as he skidded down the slope before leaping and clearing the gap into a small corridor, keeping the momentum from his leap going as he rushed through the corridor before Curly yelled from his back.

"We've got trouble!" Curly yelled so Quote could hear her over the rumbling of the island's inner bowels. "We've only got ten minutes left before the island collides with the surface of the planet!"

Quote tensed up as he felt his legs run harder than he ever thought he could, soon leaping down another drop onto a small overhang above another bed of spikes. Quote would leap down before jetting forward with the Booster towards an opening in the spiky floor, falling down another long pass as soon parts of the walls burst open, molten rock now spewing out of the walls towards the bottom of the room. Curly clamped her eyes shut as the two plummeted towards the bottom of the room, Quote activating the Booster at the last second and landing on the tiny overhang just above the next spike pit, now filling with lava. Quote gritted his teeth as he lept down from the ledge, using the Booster as best he could to make it to the other end of the room and skidded on the ground, throwing himself and Curly through the doorway into a long open corridor lined with torches and ancient murals. At that moment Quote began to hear a voice echo...

 _'Did you know... the mystic Jenka had a brother?_ _His name was Ballos... Like his sister... he possessed great arcane powers beyond anyone's wildest imaginations...'_

There was that name again! Ballos... Ballos... what did it mean?

"QUOTE!" Curly yelled, snapping the male scout of his thoughts. "WE GOT COMPANY! MOVE IT!" Frantically scrambling across the corridor, Quote would soon find out why Curly was telling him to hoof it; the corridor was collapsing, large bricks falling out of the ceiling and smashing into the ground around them. Keeping his panic to a minimum as best he could, he kept his feet moving as he dodged the falling blocks from the ceiling... but he'd soon find out they weren't alone as hatches on the walls would open, small cherub-like figures flying out of the walls and making a beeline for them. Curly would keep her Nemesis firing at all the creatures divebombing at them as the voice continued.

 _'_ _He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return._ _Even more than they did their own king...'_

Quote would keep his feet moving as he just narrowly dodged a massive falling block, soon seeing a massive hole up ahead that led further down into the ruins, noticinf the ground was only becoming redder and redder while the blocks had started turning to an ashen black. Leaping down the hole as a masive chunk of the ceiling fell and blocked their way back, the voice would continue...

 _'_ _The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was torturous and inhumane._ _Humans can be terrible creatures indeed...'_

Their trek wasn't done quite yet; ahead of them lied a massive corridor with spikes, the massive metallic Presses hiding in the ceiling spaces, and more of those cherub-like creatures were standing guard as Quote and Curly charged forward, using all the weapons they could to obliterate them out of the way. To make matter's worse, the molten rock was starting to burst in from the ceiling, the heat starting to rise...

 _'_ _Ballos was driven into a state of pure, uncontrollable rage. Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, his arcane abilities finally lost control. The king and kingdom were swallowed by Ballos' wild magical force._ _The life that he loved so dearly was turned into ruins in a single night..._ _Shrouded only by fiery hot ashes.'_

Quote felt the temperature rising as the two blew past more of the cherub-like creatures, soon larger golem-like ones appeared from higher ledges and began pelting the two with large stone blocks from the walls. Curly tightened her grip and opened fire on the two sides of the halls, striking down any of the large golem-like figures as several more parts of the ceiling collapsed behind them, leaving areas in ruins.

 _'_ _Jenka, seeing her brother's madness, confined him to this floating island._ _That was the most she could do._ _Even as he was, she could not bring herself to kill her own brother...'_

Both robots could feel their servos burning as they pushed harder towards the end of this hell, soon a massive spiked room opening up before them as the smaller cherub creatures stared coming in like bee swarms from the hatches on the walls. Leaving no time to react, Quote lept into the middle of the room as Curly clamped her eyes shut before Quote activated the Booster, rocketing straight into the open hatchway and collapsing onto the ground, panting heavily.

 _'_ _It was Jenka's daughter Misery who made Ballos create the Demon Crown._ _She was subsequently cursed by the crown, forced to do the bidding of all who wear it._ _If the crown is destroyed, the curse is lifted. If only it were that easy...'_

Getting back to their feet, Curly would look around the room from Quote's back. "Shit, is this a dead end?"

"It can't be." Quote said, his optics darting around the area. "There's gotta be something..."

Their answer would come as a large lightning bolt would smash into the ground from the center of the room, catching the two off guard. With no time to think it through, their combat instincts would kick in as they immediately opened fire on the massive machine above them, the Spur and Nemesis shots tearing through the large metallic object like it was nothing else and as if their lives depended on it. But soon enough Quote would realize what that machine actually was...

"SHIT!" He yelled, making a lunge for the side of the arena. But it was too late; Heavy Press had already activated and smashed into the arena floor, sending the two androids tumbling down to the floors below...

* * *

 _'_ _The Demon Crown will be restored anew an infinite number of times so long as Ballos' heart still beats..._ _That is the supreme arcane power of his eternally enraged soul._ _It is intrinsically imbued into his evil creation, the Demon Crown...'_

Quote moaned as he held his head in pain, getting to his knees and continuing to hold it there. "C-Curly?" He sputtered out. "H-how bad did that fall shake you?

"T-too much... ooooowwhhhh..." The short-haired blonde responded. "I can't feel my legs..."

Quote would weakly stumble forward from where they crashed; seems they were in a lower point, the crashed Heavy Press not too far from them as they weakly made their way to the corridor at the end of the room, leading out towards another corridor, now a bit broken apart as the two could see outsdide of the island, but was still composed of the same ashen-black blocks. In front of the two, a few steps up near where they were going... was a spectral dog.

 _'Does my explanation help enlighten you?'_ The dog spoke, even though it had no mouth. _'His soul has been stuck in an enraged torture for so long... only the embrace of death can quell his arcane powers...'_

Quote would merely be staring and panting at the spectral dog while Curly twitched in pain from Quote's back.

 _'His death will undo the pain of the Demon Crown brought on this island...'_ The puppy would look to Quote and Curly with sad dog eyes. _'Please... you're the only ones who can stop him... to stop this cycle from ever happening again...'_ And with that, the spectral dog would disappear without a trace...

Quote would limp towards the opening past the spectral dog, but Curly stopped him. "Wait."

"Wh-what?" Quote asked.

"If there was ever a time for us to use our Life Pots, it's right now." Curly spoke, getting hers out of her pocket. "If we try to go in there now in our condition, we're going to be flattened."

"Are you sure Curly?" Quote asked.

"We have no other choice." The blonde responded, downing her healing drink. Quote would sigh and get our his as well, downing it too as the both of them could feel their strength returning. With a full restore in their systems, the two proceeded into the next room through the cracked wall above the massive sealed door...

The Seal Chamber was absolutely massive, the walls spanning in a complete almost dome-shaped structure as red spikes littered certain points of the ground. At the far end of the room sat a large ornate throne, and sitting on that throne was a new figure; he was large, orange skinned and cracked as if her were rocks, wearing a white robe with green trim. Two eye symbols adorned the front of the robe, and his eyes remained closed, although he could clearly sense that Quote and Curly had entered into the room...

 **"I sense I have new visitors here..."** The figure in the chair spoke. **"Pray tell... who am I speaking to?"**

Quote and Curly would both keep silent. Even now, Curly knew his was no time for joking around.

 **"...not ones to talk I see..."** The figure responded. **"Then allow me to introduce myself..."**

Quote would tense up as the figure in the throne would get to his feet, putting a hand across his chest.

 **"I... am Ballos."** He spoke. **"** **Ages upon ages ago, I allowed my drive for arcane power to grow recklessly without fear of enduring any retribution. An arcane fuel so potent... so powerful... that even it's own master was helpless to contain it..."**

 **"So furious and unstoppable was this force..."** Ballos continued. **"...that its raging blazes consumed the child that had adored me, and the wife that had once loved me. They were swallowed by its intense flames, t** **heir cries of agony soaring above the blaze and having me know of their suffering... all because of my selfish transgression. My eyes were affixed and I was unable to turn away from the fiery horror... created by my own arcane power."**

Ballos would grimace, his head looking away from the two even though his eyes were still closed. **"I could only laugh then..."**

 **"Jenka sealed me away, the raging storm of arcane power within my heart spiraling out of control with each passing minute..."** A smile would start to creep up on Ballos's face. **"I've waited long for this day... for the people who will bring my immense arcane fury to an end..."** Ballos would hold his arms out to the side, as if accepting Quote to attack him. **"Now, kill me! Or-"** Ballos's eyes shot open, and instantly Quote remembered the beginning of the riddle the Cthulhu back in the Sand Zone gave them...

 _'Eye of red, eye of white..._ _'_

 ** _"I SHALL KILL YOU!"_** Ballos roared as he charged the two robots head on. Quote barely had time to dodge out of the way as soon Ballos shot up into the air, dashing back towards the two bots.

"Split up!" Curly yelled, disconnecting the Tow Rope as she lept off Quote's back. Quote nodded in response as Curly spread away from Quote, Ballos making a charge straight for the blonde. Quote immediately would start charging up a Level 3 charge in the Spur before firing off it right at Ballos, nailing the wizard straight in the back and getting his attention. Ballos would then charge for Quote, the robot boy just barely managing to dodge out of the way as the rock figure dashed past him, colliding with the side of the chamber wall. Ballos would look back to Quote with a sadistic grin on his face as he lept up into the air, the hands starting to charge up a large amount of electricity before lightning strikes would start pelting around the arena. Curly gritted her teeth as she unloaded Nemesis shots straight into Ballos, as his hands charged up a new red energy in them before shooting it into the ground, soon a barrage of red spikes shooting up through to try and impale the two scout bots. Curly would barely manage to evade with her Machine Gun hover, and Quote used the Booster before drawing the Blade, charging at Ballos and taking a slash at him, the damage clearly evident as Ballos flinched from the attack.

Ballos's sadistic grin returned as he soon gripped Quote's face and pile-drived him straight into the ground, leaving him in a crater on the floor.

"QUOTE!" Curly yelled, her anger building as she opened fire on Ballos with her Machine Gun, distracting him from Quote as the robot crawled out of the hole, cringing in pain. His left eye had been smashed again, now hanging out of it's socket like before, but now part of the paneling on his left cheek had broken off from the impact, his head circuitry showing. Enduring the pain as best he could, Quote would soon get the Missile Launcher off his back and unleash a burst fire right onto Ballos's back. The figure would whirl around, the grin back as he charged at Quote, his red eye glowing...

...before being launched to the side by Curly's Nemesis. "You alright Quote?!" She yelled.

"I'll live, it's merely cosmetic." Quote responded before turning to Ballos, getting the Spur out again. "Focus on the fight at hand!"

Curly nodded in response, keeping her Nemesis squarely trained on Ballos as he rose to the air, the red eye glowing as lightning started to crash down from the ceiling at the two robots. Curly dodged to the side and unloaded more Nemesis shots straight into the wizard causing him to stagger back a bit, before Quote rushed in with the Spur and opened fire with a Level 3 Spur laser, knocking Ballos back as he stood there frozen, eyes widen and jaw slack in a shocked expression as he had gripped his head, just frozen there...

"Di... did we do it?" Curly asked, confused by the frozen Ballos just standing there. "He's not moving..."

Quote would be cautious... thinking of how to test to see if he was actually defeated. Getting an idea, he'd disconnect his smashed eye and throw it right at Ballos.

As soon as the smashed eye had touched Ballos, the wizard had tensed up and shot into the ceiling, out of the sight of the two...

"Where'd he go?!" Curly spoke, gripping her Nemesis tightly as her eyes darted around the Seal Chamber. Quote tensed up as he scanned the area... before he had a reading come up.

"GET AWAY FROM THE CENTER!" He yelled, diving for the side of the arena and barely missing some spikes as Curly did the same, a massive round-shaped uneven stone dropping from the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, Quote realized it was no stone...

 _It was Ballos._

"What IS HE?!" Curly yelled as the giant Ballos now began hopping around the room in large leaps, kicking up a shockwave with each landing as bones flew into the air in a shockwave motion with each leap. All the while, small green bat-like creature would start swarming in at the top of the room, creating almost a moving ceiling in a way as the flitted and fluttered in an erratic pattern. Quote would still be dodging the shockwaves, but without a viable weak spot to target they'd be sunk in the ground.

Then the island shook again, this one more violent than the last. _Their time was running out._

"GO FOR THE EYES!" Curly yelled, trying to open fire on the creature before the shockwave knocked her away. Quote activated the Booster and flew upwards charging up the Spur for another Level 3 blast...

...and he'd soon find himself in immediate trouble as the green bat creature started to swarm him, a repercussion for going too high. He could feel the creatures tearing at him as he soon just grabbed the Missile Launcher off his back and open fire, thinning the swarm a bit as he landed back on the ground, looking a bit worse for wear; parts of his top and pants had been torn and large open metal gashes lined his arms, but thankfully his circuitry was still intact as his empty socket sparked, taking aim with the Spur and directly firing at the white eye... only for it to do nothing.

"HIS WHITE EYE'S NOT THE WEAK POINT!" Quote yelled to Curly. "AIM FOR THE RED ONE!"

Curly nodded in response as she grabbed her Machine Gun and ran at the gigantic stone-being, soon seeing it leaping up into the air. Gripping tightly to her weapons, she'd jump as Ballos would come crashing down to the ground, sending another shockwave out. Curly would whip out the Nemesis and open fire into the red eye, and judging from the flashing on Ballos, it was doing some serious damage to him. Although, the feeling would be short-lived before Ballos's massive form knocked Curly away into a wall, causing the shot-haired blonde to hit the ground hard...

...and her left forearm to impale on one of the spike groups. Curly screamed in agony as the searing pain shot through her, the intense arcane energy electrocuting her insides...

Quote quickly had rushed over and tried to pull Curly's arm out of the spike bed, but it was no use; her arm was too far impaled to try and pull out. With critical loss approaching, Quote acted out on instinct.

He unsheathed the Blade from his side and sliced down hard, the metal of the Blade cutting clean through the circuitry and the endoskeleton of Curly's arm, leaving her with only half an arm on her left side. Feeling faint, a reading came up on Curly's end.

 ** _/DANGER! DANGER! ARCANE CORRUPTION HAS REACHED LEVELS OF 97.5%. SHUTTING DOWN TO INITIATE ARCANE PURGE..._**

"F-fuck..." Curly whimpered as she felt her systems shut off, leaving her unconscious...

Quote felt his rage rising as he glared back at Ballos, dark flames in his eyes as he tied Curly around him with the Tow Rope once more, then charging the Spur. Taking a running leap, he'd jump up and unload a Level 3 charge shot straight into Ballos's red eye. Ballos would shut his eyes, unmoving from his position on the ground...

And then Quote would leap back as eight large stones emerged from Ballos's head, each one having a blood red eye as he'd start moving towards Quote like a wheel on the new stones. Sheathing the Spur and pulling out the Missile Launcher, Quote would open fire on the eyes of the smaller stones... but would become fruitless as Ballos would move up into the green bat creature ceiling, leaving Quote unable to open fire on him. That'd soon be the lead of his worries as large flaming stone skulls would drop from the ceiling as Ballos moved through, leaving Quote with a tricky placement to dodge as the massive wheel rock would come barreling his way again. Gripping tightly to the Spur, Quote pulled the second trigger to activate the Whimsical Star while charging up the Spur again.

At this point the Whimsical Star's true purpose would be revealed as the stars orbiting Quote would start to tear through the smaller eye rocks, the pupils shutting upon contact with the stars. Realizing this, Quote would turn and open fire with the Spur, the laser blast shredding through the eyes like nothing else as the rocks broke away. Smirking that he had finally found a pattern, Quote would keep the assault up on firing on the eye rocks until only four remained around Ballos.

At that point the gigantic rock moved to the center of the room, the smaller rocks whirling around it faster and faster as the small green bat creature's cleared out from the room. Quote's heartrate would skyrocket as he began to see spikes starting to fill the floor, completely engulfing it as he lept up, just barely managing to cling onto a floating platform as it circled around Ballos, the entire floor now completely coated in the red-tipped spikes. But his gut would wretch upon looking back at Ballos; parts of the rocky skin had burst open, showing what appeared to be moving flesh under it made of tortured souls, as well as pouring out of the mouth and in the eyes. His head started to hurt as he heard their screams of agony...

He gritted his teeth hard and focused; as painful as the screams were, he couldn't let them get the better of him! Quote lept up and took aim with the Missile Launcher, firing off several missile bursts right at Ballos's body, the shots exploding on contact with him as hatches would open up on the sides of the room, the cherub creatures swarming in with red faces, armed with bows as they took aim and fired on Quote and the unconscious Curly. As if that wasn't enough, the things would start coming from Ballos's head, making a direct beeline for him!

Quote clamped his eyes shut as he soon felt the island shake even worse than last time. He had almost no time left; if he didn't kill Ballos now, he _will_ die, along wit everyone else on the island. Feeling the determination ell up in his heart, his remaining optic started to glow blue as he unsheathed the Blade, opening up swing after swing on Ballos's frame as King's ghost unleashed blade maelstorms onto the mad mage, feeling his own power grow with every swing before he launched up into the air with the Booster v2.0, gripping tightly to the Blade as a roar ripped through his metal throat, soon plunging the Blade... and himself... through Ballos's forehead and out the other end, crashing into the ground and blowing the spikes apart. The gigantic body of Ballos would start smoking and flashing, and Quote soon dashed behind the throne as Ballos soon erupted into a massive blinding white explosion...

* * *

"!" Sue gasped from her seat on the helicopter, looking out the window. "MOM! MOM!"

"What's wrong honey?!" Momorin spoke, rushing in from the cockpit area.

"Th-the island!" She exclaimed. "It stopped! The island stopped falling!"

* * *

Misery soon felt as if something had been ripped from her soul, a burning sensation coursing through her entire body...

...and yet it felt so... liberating...

"They did it..." Misery breathed. "They managed to actually kill him..."

"So... it's done?" Balrog asked, landing next to the witch. "Our curse is finally broken?"

Misery would nod in response. "It is done. The Crown is finally gone... this time for good." Her expression would turn to worry then. "I fear for those two's lives if they're okay. Balrog, could you go and make sure they're okay? You know where the Seal Chamber is, right?"

"Right!" Balrog said, running to a wall and "HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!" blowing open the wall before he lept our. Misery chuckled, shaking her head.

"Some things never change..." She spoke.

* * *

When the explosion died down, Quote would soon find that the throne had barely survived, now only a rubble around him and the unconscious Curly. A massive white scorch mark remained of where Ballos once was, several ashen piles lying around the blast, presumably from the cherub-creatures disintegrating from the explosion. With the calm now settled in, Quote came out from behind the ruined throne and undid the Tow Rope, sitting down and surveying over Curly's damages; her top was completely destroyed, only her green bra still intact as the lower parts of her pants were also shredded. Part of the metal plating on the left side of her torso had been completely ripped off, and gashes marred the female robot's body. Keeping quiet, Quote would remain silent as Curly powered back on, showing Quote that the glass of her right optic had been cracked.

"Q-Quote?" Curly coughed, trying to push herself up before she realized she only had half an arm on her left side and went lopsided. "I... is it over?"

Quote would nod, hugging the female android tightly. "It's done. Our mission is finally done."

Curly would start to smile, tears forming her her eyes. "Ten long years... and finally we put a stop to what our creator wanted..." She'd hug Quote tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face. Quote would return the hug, crying as well. "Q-Quote... I'm so happy..."

Quote nodded, rubbing the female scout's back. "It's finally over. We can rest easy..." At that point a low groan could be heard, catching the two's attention.

"Di... did you just hear that?" Curly asked.

"Yeah..." Quote said, his good eye looking around the room... before he noticed the walls were starting to close in.

"Oh no..." Quote spoke, swallowing hard. "The walls!"

Curly would grip tighter to Quote. "W-we're gonna get crushed!" She screamed, holding tight to Quote as he did to Curly, the walls starting to draw in closer...

"HEY!" A familiar voice yelled as Balrog crashed in through the ceiling, landing next to the two. "Are you two alright?!"

"B-Balrog?!" Curly exclaimed. "H-How'd you know we were here?!"

"No time to explain!" Balrog said, hoisting the two robots onto his back. "Just hold on!"

Quote would nod and grip to the massive box-thing with Curly as he burst up through the ceiling just as the walls missed them, basing a ton of rocks in the way during the process until they broke free into the open air.

"H-how's your head?" Curly asked.

"I-I'm not sure..." Balrog merely responded.

* * *

From the helicopter Sue would soon see the massive toaster box Balrog burst from a section of the earth, and not only that...

"M-MOM!" Sue yelled, hopping from her seat. "Oh my god, it's the robots! They're alive!"

"Wh-what?!" Momoin said, rushing to the back to look out, soon in shock. "I-incredible! They survived?!"

Sue would trying to wave to them. "I think they must have had something to do with stopping the island from falling!" She exclaimed. "They saved everyone living there!"

"Oh my..." Momorin breathed. "I didn't know they had it in them..."

At that point Sue would notice a familiar figure riding on a Sky Dragon near the Balcony. "Mom! I see Kazuma! By the Balcony!"

Momorin merely nodded. "Itoh, the island has stabilized. Land there so I can pick up my son."

"Understood!" Itoh spoke, piloting the helicopter towards the island for a family reunion at last...

* * *

"Whew!" Balrog said once the group was aloft flying in the air. "That was WAY too close for comfort back there!"

Curly sighed in relief. "I thought for sure we were gonna be goners that time... looks like we owe ya another one, huh?" She asked.

"There's really no need to." Balrog said. "I just did what Misery told me to."

"Wait, she sent you?" Curly asked, confused. "How'd she know where we'd be?"

"Misery's one of the only people on the island along with myself and auntie Jenka that knew about the Seal Chamber." Balrog explained. "Once the island stopped falling after you two destroyed that Core, she could only make the inference that you two killed Ballos."

"And that's why you helped us?" Quote spoke, crossing his arms. "Because we broke your curse upon killing Ballos?"

"We don't have to take orders from anyone at all now." Balrog spoke. "Our influence from the Crown was completely eliminated when you two destroyed the source."

"So all those things you did were just because of the Crown itself?" Quote asked.

"We asked for it. Misery's been trying to break the curse ever since Miakid, but destroying the Crown itself wouldn't work." Balrog spoke. "Once you two came along, she saw an opportunity we never got to have with the previous Crown bearers."

"And instead of killing us when you knocked us out at the Sand Zone, Misery just warped us to the Labyrinth." Quote spoke. "But why there?"

"She said it was some kind of test." Balrog spoke. "I guess she just wanted to see if you had what it took to be the ones who'd end the curse."

"Mmmhh..." Curly mused as Balrog kept flying. It was silent for a bit aside from the breeze of the flying before Curly spoke again.

"Hey... Balrog?"

"Yeah?" The box-thing responded.

"You mind detouring back to the island for a bit?" Curly spoke. "I... kinda have some unfinished business to take care of."

"Same." Quote said.

"Alright then." Balrog said, confused as he was, turning around and heading back for the island, soon landing down in front of the ruined castle to see Misery greeting the two at the entrance. Her outfit was certainly shredded from her transformation earlier, but she was thankfully still alive.

"I should thank you two, really." Misery spoke, looking at the two. "Thanks to you two, both Balrog and I are now out of the Crown's influence."

"It was nothing, really." Curly spoke. "Not like we had much of a choice in the matter; we got blocked in that prefab house when the entire castle was coming down."

"True." Misery responded. "But still, both Balrog and I are grateful for what you two have done for the island; even if at times it was a _little_ counterproductive like with the Core originally..."

"Heh... have no one to blame for ourselves for that one..." Curly spoke, rubbing the back of her head with her remaining hand. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"No offense taken." Misery responded. "So, what are you two going to do now? You're always welcome back on the island whenever you want."

Quote would nod. "We appreciate the hospitality Misery." He spoke, nodding. "We'll try to come by here every now and again to visit."

"Appreciated!" Misery spoke. "I could use some company from time to time..."

Quote and Curly nodded before looking to Balrog. "We've got a few more stops to make. You don't mind, do you Balrog?" Curly asked.

"Not really." Balrog said, the two crawling onto his back again as he flew for another part of the island...

* * *

"...so... is that everything?" Balrog said as the two were back up on the Balcony some time later, Quote at this point only having the Spur on him as Curly did with her Machine Gun and Nemesis.

Quote nodded. "King's Blade is back in the right hands now." He spoke, smiling a bit. "I think it's time we head out now."

"Yeah," Curly said, now with a backpack on her back filled with a few extra supplies. "I think it's time we put this place behind us and move on. I'm at least thankful Jack agreed to have Chaco help raise the Colons for me."

"I'm just glad they understand the entire situation." Quote spoke, getting onto Balrog's back. "Especially Malco lending you that extra endoskeleton forearm."

"I'm surprised he did to be honest." Curly said, getting on as well. "He seemed a bit erratic when we talked to him."

Quote would shrug before tapping Balrog. "Alright, we're ready to go."

"Alright then!" Balrog said, soon taking off into the air. "So, where are you two wanting to go now?"

"Well..." Curly thought. "I wouldn't mind living somewhere just peaceful with a nice view..."

"Same here..." Quote said. "I think I've had enough action for a year or two..." The group would remain in silence for a while before Balrog spoke again.

"Pardon my asking, but..."

"Yes?" Curly asked.

"...can I join along?" Balrog asked.

"I don't mind!" Curly said. "All three of us can find a nice place to settle down. You could even pick the spot where we can live!"

Quote remained silent, but he smiled. Balrog seemed happy with the fact that he could come along as he flew for a good while before landing down next to a beautiful spot; a lakeside view with a nearby forest, with the floating island merely a sight in the distance. Curly would smile.

"Perfect here!" Curly said, looking around. "And such nice atmosphere!"

"I'll get the wood to start making a house!" Balrog said as he went off into the forest, leaving Quote and Curly to themselves.

"Well..." Curly said, looking to Quote. "This is a start of our new life..."

Quote nodded, looking at Curly in the eyes, blushing a bit. No other words were spoken between the two as they looked into eachother's eyes for a bit, blushing...

...before Quote made the first move, gently embracing the female robot and planting his lips squarely on hers. Curly closed eyes as Quote did with his remaining one, both scouts keeping their lips locked as they embraced the comfort of eachother before Curly pulled away, panting.

"H-how long were you holding that in?" Curly asked.

"Ever since I saved you from drowning..." Quote breathed, holding the hug. "There's no one else I'd trust my back to..."

"Same here Quote..." Curly said, looking off into the setting sun across the lakeside. "You're the one I trust the most more than anyone else."

"Together forever?" Quote said, taking Curly's still intact hand.

"Forever." Curly said, slipping her fingers inbetween Quote's as the two looked out at the sunset setting on the horizon. For now, their work was finally over...

* * *

洞窟物語

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
**_ _ **Chapter 9 End**_


	11. Arc 2: Chapter 1: Unexpected Return

**_One year later..._**

* * *

"Is rebuilding going on schedule?" The lavender furred Mimiga asked as several of the other rabbit creature's worked away with carrying supply loads. "Remember, we need homes for all the ones who lost their during the Doctor incident!"

"Everything should be goin' fine Chaco." Mahin spoke, carrying a large crate of sorts. "We might be runnin' low on food supplies though, might wan-"

"I had just checked the food supplies ten minutes ago Mahin." Chaco deadpanned. "We're not getting the food supply expanded just to satiate your bad eating habits. No ifs, ands or buts about it, understood?"

"Alright alright..." Mahin grumbled, waddling away with the crate as Chaco would overlook the Bushlands area from the new GrassTown Tower that was being built; the year had certainly taken its toll on the terrain of the island's interior caves, several large ground chunks shifted around and shoved out of order. What was once a semi-narrow grassy cavern had opened up into a sprawling foresty paradise, larger trees starting to grow among the large fungus and ruin structures, most of which were starting to decay already. Fireflies flitted around the air of the cavern, and waterfalls poured in from above down into pools, which were then filtered into the new Pipeworks system installed within the island's Waterway.

Though Chaco's main concern would be of how the island still seemed to be shifting every now and then; occasionally tremors were occurring within the system of the caverns, steadily getting worse and more frequent with the passing times. Hell, even last week there was 3 harsh tremors alone that nearly toppled the construction project!

"This is really starting to worry me greatly..." Chaco spoke, pacing left and right on the top balcony of the tower. "What's causing all these... these tremors?"

She thought for a bit... and then she came to a conclusion.

She'd call up the others in the different sections.

Walking back into the top of the tower and grabbing the wired phone on her desk, she called up the first person she knew would respond.

"Hello, Jack?" Chaco spoke. "I need to talk with you and Santa about these tremors. MY concerns are starting to seriously rise." A bit of silence as Chaco listened to Jack on the phone before she responded. "You'll be here in five? Perfect, I'll see you then." She'd hand up the phone before dialing the second number and calling in.

"Hey, Santa, you available? I know the Sand Zone's a bit of a, for the lack of a better term, hell to travel through, but I could really use you over here right now..." Chaco responded, keeping silent as she listened to the response. "...I see. Alright, I'll see you in seven." She said, hanging up before dialing the last number and calling.

"Hey, Zett, I-" She'd stop as she was soon surprised by who answered. "Chie? Oh my, where's Zett? Is he alright?" She'd remain silent as the younger Mimiga on the other end explained. "...I see. Alright, I'll just call you back after I'm done talking to the others so I can relay the information." She said, hanging up right in the middle of Chie trying to say something.

About several minutes pass before a knock at the door of Chaco's 'office' is heard. "Who s it?" She asked.

"You should know who it is." A voice said from the other side, causing Chaco to smile.

"Come in Jack." She said, the familiar Mimiga wearing a green vest and brown hat walking into the office, now sporting a new pair of goggles rather than his usual set of spectacles, and looking a bit soggier than usual.

"Came as soon as I got your call." Jack said, squeezing the water out of his lop ears. "Sorry about the rather wet appearance; the bridge in the Reservoir of the village wasn't finished building, so I had to take a bit of a swim to get to the entrance to here."

"It's fine." Chaco said as Jack approached her desk. "I take it everything's going well in the village since you're the new Number One?"

"For the most part." Jack sighed. "It's been... rough, to say the least, having to fill in for King's shoes."

"I can understand it must be hard." Chaco spoke. "Especially since the special sanctuary we had commemorated for him, Arthur, and Toroko got shifted away from the normal Graveyard..."

"It's been rough all around at the village... but we're slowly recovering." Jack spoke. "The Colons keep wanting to help out and try to help the others feel better in the village."

"Must be rather glum over there..." Chaco sadly looked, until a knock was at the door again. "Hello?"

"It's me again, open up?" A voice on the other side said.

"Come in, Santa." Chaco spoke as the door opened and a Mimiga with bushy eyebrows and wearing green walked into the room. On his left paw appeared to be some sort of orange-ish glove. "Good to see you could make it as well."

"Well, Sand Zone's been gettin' hit the hardest by the tremors." Santa said, walking into the room. "Jenka's not been givin' any sort of a response to tryin' to help with the issues."

"That's certainly not like her..." Chaco pondered. "Were you even able to go see her at all?"

Santa merely shook his head. "Some sort of barrier is blocking the entryways to her house; no one's able to get into her place at all, not even her own daughter!"

Chaco's expression would turn to worry. "Oh dear... that's definitely not good... and there's been no way to get into there?"

Santa merely shook his head. "Misery's been worried sick ever since Jenka's done and sealed herself away in there. Not even her magic is able get through there."

Chaco would think. "This certainly isn't good... and no word from anyone else?"

Jack would merely shake his head. "No one in the Labyrinth is certainly gonna give us a hand; the place is crawling with Gaudi, and their first instinct would probably be to eat us!"

Chaco would be silent, thinking over the current options... before another knock came at the door, catching her off guard. She wasn't expecting another visitor...

"Hello?" Chaco asked, before the door flung open, the pygmy Mimiga rushing into the room and catching her off guard. "O-oh my! Chie?! What are you doing here?!"

"T-trouble at the abandoned Plantation residences!" She panted. "Some... _thing,_ some _monster,_ just came out of one of the old pipes near the top of the plantation, and it started attacking everyone an-"

"Woah woah, slow down there!" Chaco said. "A monster? What'd it look like?"

"G-giant, red and liquidy..." Chie spoke. "And it's eye... it was just soulless! Completely staring at us as it was tearing apart the place!"

Chaco tensed up. "Is everyone already evacuating from there?"

"E-everyone was scrambling like mad before I got here!" Chie stammered. "I don't know if they got out of there or not!"

"Then we have no time to waste." Chaco said, getting up. "Get our defense forces ready for the Plantation; we need to secure that creature before it escapes into other parts of the island."

"Right!" The other three Mimigas said before they rushed out of the room. Chaco would soon follow, sighing. Hopefully others were having an easier time than she was right now...

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark abode in a corner of the Sand Zone, a familiar green-clothed witch is pacing back and forth across her expanded living space worriedly. Things were already going wrong for the day already...

"Dammit dammit dammit dammit!" She cursed to herself, still pacing. "What the hell is wrong with her?!" It was evident enough her worry was growing rapidly. "Why is she doing this to the island?!"

The witch would punch the wall in anger, trying to vent some of her frustrations as small pebbles fell from the ceiling. Soon enough she'd collapse to her knees, gripping the wall as she was panting heavily.

"I'm her own damn daughter... and yet I can't even do shit to try and help her." Misery growled. "And then there's the issue of the island tremors getting worse and worse! The entire place threatens to shake itself completely apart and no one's able to do anything about it!" She grunted in anger as she kicked a pot hard, the object smashing against the back wall of her abode.

She gripped her head in anger. "Why?! Why is it that now of all times I have to feel so useless?!" She'd growl, tears forming in her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling. "Is this your sick way of having the last laugh you uncle fuck?! Taking away my mother after those two scouts killed you?!" She'd scream to the ceiling, before collapsing to her knees again and sobbing openly. "God... dammit... why..." She choked out, still sobbing...

* * *

It's been a bit of a hard year for the Sakamotos ever since that fateful trip to the island; not long after they came back, the family was hit with a bombshell of an emotion bomb as Sue found out her father was dead. Several days after that she had locked herself into her room and sobbed away, the pain being too much for her to bear. It didn't help compounded with the fact that over the year, any attempts to try and reverse the Mimiga process on herself and Itoh have ended in failure, either by flat-out not working or by only changing them back temporarily, with the effects wearing off either by a few minutes later or from something as blatantly simple as a sneeze. Neddless to say, most of Momorin's hours when she wasn't spending time with Kazuma and Sue to try and comfort them was working on the machine to try and fix Sue and Itoh. She was just in the middle of working on trying to modify the machine when a knock came from the workshop door.

"Hello?" Momorin asked.

"It's Kazuma, mom." The voice said from behind the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure honey." Momorin responded, continuing to work on the machine as Kazuma came in with a bit of a worried look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I... just got a call from the school today." Kazuma spoke. "Sue had another emotional breakdown today..."

Momorin sighed. "What happened this time?"

"More of the other students bullying her today." Kazuma responded sadly. "They just won't leave her alone because of her being a Mimiga."

"Did the school intervene?" Momorin asked, earning a nod from Kazuma.

"They'll be bringing her to the house soon." Kazuma spoke.

"Alright..." Momorin spoke, getting up and heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Kazuma sighed as he walked to the garage to check up on the sleeping Sky Dragon, the large green creature sleeping calmly as it's tail tip twitched.

Soon enough the front door to the house would open before it slammed shut, the angry teary-eyed blue sweater wearing Mimiga barging through emotionally, dragging her backpack behind her before going up the stairs of the house and slamming the door to her room shut, locking it from the inside. Her bedroom wasn't that large, aside from a standard bed, a small wardrobe, and a desk with a computer on it. Angrily, she threw the backpack onto the chair next to the desk before ripping her sweater off and throwing it on the floor, flopping onto the bed and throwing a blanket over herself, bursting into sobs as she buried her face in her pillow. She remained sobbing for a few minutes before a light knock came at the door.

"Sue?" Momorin's voice spoke. "Can I come in?"

"Go away!" Sue yelled, still sobbing into her pillow. A light sigh could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Sue, please..." Momorin spoke. "I know you're hurting from losing your father; we all are. But-"

"I'M JUST TIRED!" Sue yelled, sobbing harshly. "I'm sick of it all! I'm sick of constantly being teased of my being a Mimiga, sick of being reminded of how my father is dead, ALL OF IT!"

"Sue, please, ju-"

"WHY COULDN'T I HAVE DIED ON THAT STUPID ISLAND?!" Sue yelled, before just breaking down into incoherent sobs and sniffles. Momorin would be silent, just staring at the door before she sat down next to it, pained in her heart at what Sue had just said. She was at a loss for what to do...

And then an idea came to her, causing her to get up and go to the phone.

She knew exactly who to call.

* * *

It was a quiet day on the lakeside as the quaint house and side-house sat at the edge, overlooking the sparkling water as birds tweeted from the trees... at least, if they weren't squawking from some of them collapsing as the giant box-thing known as Balrog was knocking them down for firewood. Occasionally there'd be a light rumble from the trees hitting the ground, but overall the house would be undisturbed as its other two residents were still alseep inside. The house wasn't very large: a mere two room house with a bed, small kitchen, table for four, and a room for a closet, along with a old TV and a radio on a nightstand next to the bed, a window above the bed to let the sunlight in. And right now, the sun was shining in on two familiar white metal figures, asleep in the bed, Curly lightly embracing Quote.

"Mmmmmmmhhh..." Quote murmured, slightly stirring before his only operating optic opened, the other optic socket bandaged up as if it was an organic injury, even though Quote very well knew he was a robot; the bandaging was merely there to keep it sealed up to prevent dust from getting into his circuitry. He'd look around to see it was almost around noon-time, which didn't really alert him; both he and Curly had been getting used to sleeping in a little too much. Lightly unwrapping Curly's arms from around him, he'd slip out of the bed without wearing anything, showing that the repairs made to him were limited but as best he could; the metal gashes across his arms were welded and bent back into place, keeping the gashes shut and his endoskeleton arm circuitry safe. Sadly enough he couldn't find a replacement panel for his shattered cheek panel, so it was still open for the most part. A the very least being a robot he wouldn't have to worry about indecency as he walked over to the closet and stepped inside.

"Nnnnhh?" The female shot-haired blonde murmured, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she sat up, stretching as her bare frame gleamed a bit in the light. Soon enough she'd slip out of bed, her attempts at recovery showing as well; her open metal gashes were also welded back shut, but sadly like Quote there was no replacement for her missing paneling. The largest aspect, however, was the mismatched endoskeleton forearm on her left arm, looking like it belonged to a different robot entirely. She sighed, slipping out of the bed before she made it back up, having it look presentable, before she started to walk to the closet, trying to open the closet before the handle wouldn't budge.

"One second Curly." Quote responded from behind the door as the bare female scout robot waited to the side of the door for a bit, lightly humming to herself. A few minutes later, Quote would emerge from the closet, his new outfit for the time being shown off; wearing a new black long-sleeve shirt, brown vest and holster belt and signature green scarf, and red cargo pants with his normal boots. On his head was still the regular hat he wore for the past year, and in the holster on his belt was none other than the Spur, one of the most powerful guns he ever used in his life. "Alright, go ahead on in."

Curly would blush. "Thanks Quote." She said, walking into the closet and shutting the door. Quote sighed and walked to the door, looking outside to across the lake and, along with it, the floating island where his whole adventure started. It was hard to believe a year had passed ever since they finally managed to take down both the Doctor _and_ Ballos on the floating island. But with their mission complete, there wasn't really much for them to really do at all aside from enjoying their well earned rest from the action. Of course, that didn't mean they gave up on the action they had from time to time again. More often than not the two robots would usually like to do a bit of hand-to-hand combat training just to keep their skills sharp. Just in case something ever would come up that a call to duty would ever need to arise again.

And then of course there was Balrog, the lovable, if a bit goofy, box-like creature that ended up saving the two that year ago from becoming metallic pancakes on the insides of Ballos's chamber. It was an odd thing, getting to live with a gigantic moving box about as tall as a refrigerator and as wide as a queen-sized bed, but the two managed to make it work in a way, hence the extra space with a Balrog-sized entrance for him to sleep at.

"I'm done Quote, got my new outfit on." Curly said, causing Quote to look over to where she spoke. Turning around, Quote would see Curly in her new outfit; the straps of her green bra were still visible as her original top, since it had been destroyed, was switched out for a tube-top that came down to the top of her midriff, and a newer set of cargo shorts held up by a woven fabric belt, that familiar green metal plate with the red heart affixed firmly across the front as the buckle. Her boots were still the same as ever, secure and ready for rough terrain. What little length of her blonde hair remained after her sudden and unwelcome haircut was tied off as a ponytail near the base of her robotic neck. The most interesting aspect, however, was the change in color for Curly's wardrobe; rather than the dusty red like her previous outfit, it was a stark lapis blue, definitely making her stand out between the two a bit more. Attached to her belt were her familiar Machine Gun and Nemesis. "So... how do I look?"

Quote would blush. "I'll be honest, blue looks good on you." He spoke, receiving a return blush from Curly.

"Thanks..." She merely responded, before a phone rang in the house. Walking over to the phone, she'd soon pick it up and answer. "Hello, this is Curly Brace speaking, who is this?" Soon enough her face would light up. "Oh! Ms. Sakamoto!" She said enthusiastically. "It's been a while, what's been going on?" She'd be silent for a while as she listened to the situation on the other end of the phone, nodding and understanding. "Hmmm... I see... when would you like us to come down?" Another pause as she nodded her head then." Alright, the three of us will be down there tomorrow, I promise." She spoke. "Alright, see you then, goodbye." She finished, hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" Quote asked.

"Sue's... really not been doing to hot..." Curly said. "To put it bluntly, Ms. Sakamoto said she's been an emotional wreck and she's afraid of it escalating further. So-"

"So she wants us to come down to their home and try and comfort her?" Quote finished, merely earning a nod from Curly. "That... doesn't make a whole lot of sense to be honest."

"Well, think of it this way." Curly said, crossing her arms. "Aside from her own family, we're the ones she's spent the most time with, not to mention the fact you saved her life on more than one occasion."

"Touche..." Quote spoke, rubbing the back of his head. "So, we head out tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." Curly said, heading for the door. Quote followed and soon met her on the small front porch, leaning on the railing as she looked up out at the floating island in the distance.

"Y'know..." Curly said. "Sometimes I wonder if it's a dream or not..."

"Huh?" Quote asked, walking up and leaning with her. "If what's a dream?"

"That we actually left the floating island." Curly said. "That we actually killed Ballos, and I'm not gonna wake up and suddenly find myself stranded back in the island away from you and everything I had in my life..."

"...you fear that?" Quote asked.

Curly nodded. "It's a nightmare I have every now and then; that everything I ended up earning is going to be rudely and forcefully taken away from me with no chance of recovery..."

Quote would be silent, merely rubbing a small circle on her back as she continued.

"And yet..." She said. "I feel as though something didn't sit well when we left."

"What do you mean?" Quote asked.

"I know our mission was completed and all that jazz..." Curly spoke, a sad look in her eyes as she looked up on the island. "But something just didn't sit right with me when we left that day almost a year ago. Like we still had some unfinished business on there..."

Quote would think for a bit before coming up with a question. "Do... you wanna make a return trip there after we go see Sue tomorrow?" He asked.

"I feel that'd be perfect Quote." Curly said. "Sue's comfort is top priority first tomorrow anyways; I still feel bad she found out she ended up losing her father..."

"It's a hard thing..." Quote said. "But we all just gotta keep our heads up; keep pushing along..."

Curly nodded, a small smile coming to her face. "I know that was for sure when we went through that hell area of the island."

"Which one?" Quote asked. "Sand Zone or that weird Ballos church thing?"

"The latter." Curly said. "I mean, did you _see_ the amount of spikes littering the place when we went through there?"

"Ugh, don't remind me..." Quote shuddered, the painful memory of Curly's impaled arm coming back fresh in his mind. Of course that thought train would be violently derailed as a massive tree collapsed right beside them, just barely missing the house. Curly squeaking in shock as she lept back a bit from the sudden tree-fall.

"Oop- sorry!" Balrog yelled, earning a collective sigh from Quote and Curly. "Was just trying to get trees knocked down for firewood!"

Curly sweatdropped. "We seriously just can't get a moment's peace with Balrog around sometimes, can we?" She giggled.

"Apparently not." Quote chuckled. "Alright Balrog, we're coming!" He said as the two headed over to the base of the tree where the gigantic box-thing was.

"Just next time, not so close to the house, alright?" Curly spoke, earning a nod from Balrog. Quote would grab an axe fron the side of the space that Balrog was living in and began hacking away at the wood, getting a few decent sized logs hacked out as Curly pulled them out from where Quote cut them. Quote was going for another swing on the log, but son his sensors went off.

And it wasn't a good mention.

 ** _/DANGER! HIGH ARCANE LEVELS DETECTED NEAR AREA!_**

Quote dropped the axe, getting the Spur out and having his eyes quickly darting around the area, paranoid now. It had been over a year since he had gotten a warning like that, why is he getting one now?!

"Q-Quote?" Curly asked, confused. "I-is something wrong?"

"Did... did you not just get a reading?" Quote asked, before the same reading popped up on Curly's messages.

"...what the fuck." She mouthed, whipping her Machine Gun out and having her eyes dart to nearly every single spot possible. "How?! How?!"

Quote tensed up, eyes darting around... then felt a sharp pull as he and the other two were thrown somewhere else. His vision cleared in his eye to see they were at... the ruined Egg Corridor?! Back on the floating island?!

"Wh-what the-?!" Curly yiped before Quote felt the sharp tug again, this time the teleportation only grabbing himself and Balrog as he soon crash-landing onto what felt gritty and coarse... and judging from the immense heat filling the area, he knew he could only be at one place; the Sand Zone.

"Wait, why are we-" Balrog started to speak before Quote was flung again, now landing in a small stone room which would have looked all too familiar to him...

He was in Jenka's house, and the old woman was lying collapsed on the floor, shaking in pain with her face twisted into pain.

"H-help... m-me..." Was all that she managed to choke out before Quote felt the violent tug one last time before he crashed down into the last stop that the wild teleporting ride was taking him through. Giving him enough time to catch his bearings, he'd soon shake his head in pain to try and divert it before he looked around, recognizing the blue hues and the wooden structures of the area he was in...

He was back where he originally woke up.

But this time he could definitely tell something was very, _very wrong._

Not one to waste time about his perdicament, he'd immediately sit up and tap his comm piece on his ear headset. "Curly, come in, do you read me, over?"

Silence, with a bit of static. Nonetheless, Quote tried again.

"Curly, do you read me? Over?" Quote spoke again.

Again, silence. Quote was starting to become seriously worried now. He tried one last time.

"Curly? Come in, over."

Finally, a response.

"Quote?!" Curly's panicked voice came from the other end. "Quote, are you there?!"

"I'm here, and I'm intact, I think." Quote responded. "What about you? Are you alright?"

"Physically yes, mentally not really!" Curly responded. "What the hell was that?! I said I wanted to come back to the island at some point, but not in this way!"

"Alright, look," Quote said. "It's obvious enough your suspicions are right; something is _definitely_ going wrong around here. And judging from the scrambled rocks all around me, navigating through this place just got a hell of a lot harder. But I recognize where that teleport sent me; I'm somewhere in the first caves near Mimiga Village where I originally woke up. You see any sort of visuals of where you got thrown to?"

"Some sort of long corridor with giant killer beetles and huge eggs?" Curly said as gunfire came from her comms. Quote mouthed a curse to himself; she was stuck in the ruined Egg Corridor, and he had no idea where he could get to there from the village; the Corridor could be on a completely different point in the island!

"It sounds like you're stuck in the Egg Corridor." Quote responded. "Just hold your position, I'll try to get there as soon as I can!"

"Alright, I'll meet back up with you later then!" Curly responded, before the comm link cut. Quote would let out another curse; what a time to have left the Booster off your back at the house...

Quote would take a deep breath, and let it out easily. If he was going to survive and find Curly, he first had to find a way to the village first and foremost. Gripping his Spur tightly, he'd leap to the adjacent ledge to find the familiar pathway now being blocked by a large metal door with hinges. Curious, Quote would activate thermal settings on his eye to soon find out there was a thermal conduit behind the large metal door. Dumbstruck as to how he was supposed to activate the conduit, he'd backtrack down to see the new pathway opened up below, leading down into the cave further.

Gripping his senses, he'd leap down into the new territory of the cave, moving forward a bit before finding a new room behind the original start point, much larger in size as it had wooden scaffolding and hanging platforms from chains on the ceiling. There wouldn't be much of any creatures around as he lept from platform to platform, examining around the larger cave... before noticing something glimmer on a lower platform below. Curious, he'd jump down to see something embedded into the ground around what appeared to be rubble. Thinking it might be something new he'd need, he'd clear the rocks out of around the gun before picking it up; a lavender shaded gun with red indents and a small chamber of what appeared to be fire swirling inside. Not knowing what the new gun was, he used his scanner on it.

 ** _/WB-86 SNAKE_**

 ** _/Energy Class Weapon_**

 ** _/Model No. 861986_**

 ** _/No Registration Found_**

 ** _/Case Color Lavender_**

 ** _/No Warranty Applied_**

 ** _/Heat Based Weapon, shots able to phase through walls and activate conduits._**

Quote smiled at his luck; just what he needed! With haste, he backtracked to the door from earlier and took aim at the conduit using his thermal scanner, and pulled the trigger of the newly acquired Snake. The shot came out of the front barrel as three undulating purple flames as they phased right through the door, colliding with the conduit and heating it up, causing it to reactivate as the door slowly slid open, showing the old rusty door behind it. Quote shrugged; some things never change. Holstering the newly acquired Snake, he'd get the Spur out again as he entered into the next room.

And it was here he'd find out how radically different the caves had become since his last visit; the First Cave was much more open now, scaffolding everywhere and lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Most of the old piping he had encountered on his first trip here was completely broken up and severed, some of the old lights shattered completely as broken glass marred the floors. The bats were hanging from their roosts, completely asleep as Quote remained silent. Thankfully for him they weren't awake as he proceeded to the left, coming across another large metal door blocking the way to where he knew Mimiga Village was. Knowing the same trick as before, Quote would activate his thermal scanner to find the conduit, located below the door off to the right a bit. Firing off another shot with the Snake, the conduit would activate as the door slowly creaked open, moving upwards into the ceiling and showing the old abandoned shack entrance like last time. Smiling a bit to himself, Quote headed through the door.

He wouldn't expect Mimiga Village to have changed so much since his last visit. The once single-tree village had become something completely new as the walls were now tree-like, as if the tree split down the middle and decided to cling to the walls instead. There was still evidence of the cave system it inhabited, but now it was like a whole new beast of a town to explore, a larger town hall tower sat at the center of the village, the Assembly hall still being up off to the side as usual, and the entrances to the farm and the Graveyard were still all there!

"Woah..." Quote breathed to himself, soon jumping down to the lower ground below, starting to look around the new village layout. He wondered though; was the one house with the teleporter still intact? He could use that and try t- wait... he remembered back when he first got to the ruined Egg Corridor the two dragons had attacked him and completely destroyed it. Quote cursed to himself. Looks like he'd have to find another way around.

"Hey... i-is that Quote?!" A voice said, one of the Mimigas rushing up to him. "Ohmigod you actually came back to the island! A lot of us were wondering when you guys were coming back!"

"Heh, I appreciate the warm welcome..." Quote spoke, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm a bit busy though, is Jack around at all?"

"Y-yeah!" The Mimiga said, pointing to the town hall tower. "He just got back from an emergency call to the plantation not too long ago! He might be in if you go and see him!"

"Alright, thanks." Quote said, leaping down some of the stairway structures and skidding to a halt next to the entrance into the tower. He took a sigh and walked in, just to find Jack apparently telling some Mimigas a couple of other commands of sorts.

"Look, I don't care what it takes, just make sure the Plantation is sealed off, understood?" Jack spoke, seemingly agitated. "I don't know what in tarnation that red goo thing was, but we can't afford having it running around to other parts of the island!"

"Sir yes sir!" The other Mimigas saluted before brushing past Quote out of the main tower, before Jack spoke again.

"Well, don't you just have the darndest of timings!" Jack spoke, looking to Quote. "How's the year been for you and Curly ever since you guys left the island?"

"Well, calm for the most part, until we got forcefully thrown back into here." Quote said, rubbing the back of his head. "What's been going on here?"

"Lotta stuff Quote." Jack answered. "Tremors are ravaging the island like mad the past week or so, and it just seems to be getting worse as each one goes by! And just today we had an incident up at the Plantation where some sort of demonic goo creature started attacking everyone there! Had to seal the damn place off just to prevent anyone else from getting hurt!"

"Yikes..." Quote said. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Well, sadly not around here." Jack spoke. "But I'm willin' to bet Chaco might be able to give you some direction. She's off in Grasstown, but our water pipes have been acting up recently and we can't get to the valve to fix it!"

"Is the valve critical to getting to Grasstown?" Quote asked.

"Yes, actually!" Jack spoke. "Ever since the island's started its tremor cycle, parts of the island started to run into eachother and become connected that way; Grasstown's just past the other side of the Reservoir, but the valve power normally holding up the platform with pressurized water is down completely!"

Quote would think. "Hmmm... might be worth it for me to go and check this valve out."

"Please, help yourself around here!" Jack spoke. "After all, you saved our home that year ago."

Quote sweatdropped, smiling, before leaving the tower. Thinking as best he could to deduce where the Pipeworks would be, he'd see a path leading down towards the bottom of the Village. Guessing this was the path he needed to take, he'd walk down the path, past an old erected Mimiga statue as he entered through the door.

He could definitely tell he was on the right track; the metal piping and running water were giveaways as the corridor stretched out a bit ahead of him. Quickly thinking, he reached onto his back and felt for something.

"Okay, good." Quote spoke to himself. "Air Tank is still there." He said, soon pulling out the Spur again as he started to walk along the path to the valve switch. Nothing would be giving him too much trouble... until he noticed a chest off to the side. Curious, he'd deviate from his path slightly to open it... only to find it was empty, with a note sitting at the bottom.

 _Hah! Whoever's reading this, you were too slow! Ya snooze ya lose!_

 _-Pignon the Swift_

"Pignon?" Quote asked himself, shaking his head and heading back to the main path. Now was not the time for getting sidetracked. He'd continue on until he reached a doorway, moving through it to a new area of the Pipeworks. This room was much more vertical, looking like it extended up quite a ways due to the many stairs around the outside walls of the room. As Quote would walk up the stairs, he'd notice the Mimiga's handiwork in making the room; the piping infrastructure was more integrated into the natural terrain of the landscape rather than just being completely blasted out of the way like other places he had seen. It was a bit of a refreshing touch, to be honest. He'd even notice a group of Critters sitting on one hanging alcove on the center piping pillar in the room, and upon seeing him, all they did was give him either quizzical or happy looks, some even jumping in place a bit. IT refreshed Quote a bit as he soon neared the top of the room to the door, right as a beeping went off on his scanner.

 ** _/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY_**

Certainly had been a while since he had seen _that_ prompt, Quote thought. Looking around, he'd soon see where the capsule was; on a small rocky outcropping above the stairwell he was walking on, being gnawed on lightly by a Critter.

"H-hey, hello?" Quote spoke, getting the attention of the blobish creature.

"Ruurrur?" The Critter would stop gnawing, looking down at Quote.

"Hey, uh..." Quote spoke. "Can I have that?" He asked. He figured if the Critters were being docile to him for the time being, there'd be no sense in trying to shoot them if they weren't attacking him.

The Critter would look between the Life Capsule and Quote a bit, seeming to make some sort of connection...

"Rurrur!" It responded, nudging the Life Capsule off the ledge as Quote would catch it in his hands. Quote would look up at the creature, giving a small smile and nod before continuing on, slotting the Life Capsule into his arm as he headed through the next door.

The last corridor he had to travel through required a bit of dexterity on his part as large gaps of water were spaced out inbetween parts of the walkway. Keeping his head level, he'd take the leaps accordingly as he soon reached the other side of the corridor, stepping into the valve switch room.

The room was somewhat expansive, a couple of terminals on the back wall as Quote would approach them, starting to type something into one of them to reroute to the Reservoir when something in his scanners went off just as he was finishing it.

 ** _/ARCANE ENERGY DETECTED CLOSING IN! WARNING!_**

Gritting his metal teeth, Quote would whirl around as he held the Spur tightly, soon seeing some sort of red corruptive energy materialize into the room in the form of a large enraged Mimiga wearing a blue sweater, a red tint across its entire being as it glared at Quote, sharp teeth ready for gnashing. Materializing next to the gigantic Mimiga on either side would be two creatures that would look all too familiar to Quote as Sue when she was possessed, now with only blood-redfilling the eyes of the creatures as the large one let out a roar.

And so Quote tensed up, seeing the two oncoming spinning 'Sues' coming straight for him. The scout robot tensed up as he dodged out of the way of the two oncoming Mimigas, the creatures phasing straight through the wall as Quote would turn to deal with the larger one. The larger one charged up an energy blast in its mouth before letting loose a barrage of energy shots straight for Quote. Quote would duck roll out of the way before remembering something; this was like his fight back in the Egg Corridor with that other giant Mimiga! Meaning...

Quote goaded the hulking beast into firing another barrage again as it opened its mouth, taking a chance with the Spur, he took aim and fired off a Level 3 charge shot straight into the beast's gullet. It shut its mouth and clamped it in pain, squirming around as if it was in pain, but soon enough it returned to looking at Quote with a glare of murder in its eyes. Quote tensed up, but was then caught off guard as the two phantom 'Sues' would cartwheel back into the arena, floating in the air as they looked down on Quote, one of them letting out a silent malicious laugh. The robot gritted his teeth as the large hulking Mimiga would come walking towards him, fists ready to punch. Quote opened fire with the Spur's normal shots, but the creature was completely unaffected by them.

The fist would come down right as Quote rolled to the side, just barely missing him by an inch as he soon reholstered the Spur. Didn't seem like this one was gonna fall for a mouth trick like that again, so he had to think on the fly as the two 'Sues' came cartwheeling at him again. Quote countered with a punch to one of them, knocking it backwards as it staggered, holding its face in pain as the other one went through the floor again.

Just then Quote got an idea. If he couldn't defeat the Mimiga from the outside...

...then maybe he'd have to defeat it _from the inside._

Grabbing the Snake off his belt, he'd take aim and open fire on the larger Mimiga as it seemed to double over in pain. He smirked; his thought was right! The Snake could go through organics!

Keeping his fire held on the larger Mimiga, he began to notice it was fizzling a bit as if it was a TV signal, the red starting to take over its form the more and more he damaged it...

Almost as if the thing he was fighting wasn't an actual enraged Mimiga.

With a final landed shot the creature would screech before fizzing out of existence, several more of the 'Sues' popping in and out of existence before a large red mist blob formed in the top of the center of the room. As the last 'Sue' exploded, the mist cloud exploded, the familiar small Mimiga girl wearing a tattered blue sweater falling face-first to the ground, unconscious. Quote immediately rushed to the small Mimiga's side.

"Sue! Sue!" Quote spoke, lightly shaking the small Mimiga girl. "Are you alright?!"

"Nnnnnnngghh..." Sue moaned, struggling to get to her feet. "Owww... w-was it that nightmare a-again? D-did I fall outta bed...?" Sue would sit up, holding her head in pain before starting to look around the area...

"No... nononono..." Sue breathed. "Th-this is all just a bad dream... any moment now, I'll wake up an-" She squeaked as she was hugged tightly by Quote, before just breaking down into a sobbing mess. Quote would just rub Sue quietly as she just let her crying emotions out, not even paying attention to another rumble that shook the island again.

"It'll be okay Sue..." Quote said, picking up the small Mimiga girl. "Just hold on, okay?"

"A-alright..." She sighed, holding onto Quote as the robot took her back to the Village...

* * *

"So she's going to be fine?" Quote asked Jack as Sue was being escorted to the Assembly Hall to be cared for.

"Looks like she only had a bit of emotional scarring." Jack spoke, before looking at Quote. "I seriously can't thank you enough for helping out getting that pipeline reopened. Access back to Grasstown should be a lot smoother now."

Quote would nod. "That's where I'll be heading next then." He said, starting to walk off.

"I'll try and talk to Sue for a bit to see if there's any way I can help her for the time being." Jack said. "You just go ahead and talk to Chaco once you get there, okay?"

"Alright." Quote said, starting to walk off towards the Reservoir.

Jack would sigh as Quote left. With all the incidents happening in almost a rapid-fire motion, it was definitely starting to wear on him a bit as he walked out of the tower and towards the Assembly Hall. He figured as long as Sue was back for the time being, he'd explain what's been going on with the island in the year's timeframe. Maybe she'd understand. Upon reaching the Assembly hall and looking in, Jack would find Sue one floor up, rsting next to the old teleporter and wrapped in a blanket as she shivered a bit, trying to keep herself warm.

"Hey..." Jack said with a small wave, grabbing the attention of Sue.

"H-hey Jack..." Sue spoke, still shivering. "Wh-what's going on?"

"Well... a lot of things, actually." He spoke, taking a seat next to Sue and explaining everything that's been going on within the past year of the island after they left; the rebuilding, the worsening tremors, the giant goo monster that appeared at the Plantation... and Sue just took it all in, her shivering slowing.

"It sounds like you've had a hell of a time here..." Sue spoke. "Stress of trying to live up to King's name getting to you I'm guessing?"

"Yeah..." Jack said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's been... pressurizing, to say the least." He'd turn to Sue. "What about you though?"

Sue would grow quiet, looking away from Jack. Evidently it was something she didn't want to discuss.

"Alright, I won't press." Jack said, sitting back after getting the pained look in Sue's eyes. Sue would then look at the teleporter.

"Is that still operational?" Sue asked, looking at it.

"Well, yeah, but-" Jack wasn't even finished with his sentence as Sue would start looking around the teleporter and the computer nearby it.

"There's no data cards in here." Sue spoke. "How are we supposed to link these things up if there's no sort of data cards in here?"

"...good point." Jack said, walking over to the computer and starting to type into it. "Lemme just message Chaco about that quickly. Quote's already on his way there so hopefully Chaco can just talk to her about it."

"Hopefully." Sue spoke, continuing to work on the wiring on the teleporter as Quote made his way to Grasstown...

* * *

洞窟物語: ジェンカスの悪夢

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
Jenka's Nightmare Arc**_  
 _ **Chapter 1 End**_


	12. Arc 2: Chapter 2: Freefall

After a hop, skip, and a faceplant across the Reservoir, Quote arrived upon the entrance to the relocated Grasstown. It was certainly different from what he experienced a year ago; what was once merely a grassy cave was now turned into a lush vibrant forest before him, the once ruined owl structures now acting as the basis for homes of the Mimigas that lived within the area. Larger mushrooms would be growing out of some of the homes as natural umbrellas or platforms as some of the homes would also be hanging from the ceilings of the cavern. Several Mimiga would be moving about, carrying large supplies for construction work, meaning the place must have still been in the building process. Ahead of Quote past the trees and some of the other living spaces, he could see a tower that stood above the rest of the houses, along with some blocks leading up into an upper area of the caverns. Keeping himself calm, he walked towards the main tower, passing by other Mimigas that went passed him with other construction supplies, a couple stopping and waving at him, to which he merely waved back as he continued walking.

Upon nearing the tower, he'd come into what appeared to be a small town square leading to other parts of the residences in Grasstown. Rectificed in the center of the square was none other than a statue of both Quote and Curly, looking ready to take on anything. The robot scout lightly smiled at this; the Mimiga definitely seemed to look up to him and Curly for stopping the island from falling. Walking past the statue, he'd soon come to the entrance of the tower. Steeling his nerves, he'd open the door and walk in.

"...alright, will do. I'll keep an eye out for him-" The voice was interrupted as Quote entered through the front door, seeing Chaco talking to a computer screen with Jack on it. "Ah, god-like timing, he just walked in here."

"Uhh... hi?" Quote asked.

"One sec dear." Chaco said before looking back to the computer. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll let him know. Talk to ya later Jack." She finished as she closed out the chat, before turning to Quote. "Sorry about that dear, what brings you here?"

"Jack said you might be able to give me some direction?" Quote asked. "Curly and I got thrown back in here so suddenly without a chance to gather our thoughts, and all I know about her whereabouts right now is she's stuck somewhere in the Egg Corridor... and the teleporter there was destroyed during my first trip in the island. By any chance, at all, is there another way for me to be able to get to the Egg Corridor at all?"

"Well..." Chaco spoke. "There is the Conduit, but..."

"Where's that?" Quote asked.

"Back at Mimiga village, but the problem with that is that it's a straight shot downwards out of the island from there." Chaco answered. "And with howling winds, chances are you'd get sucked right out of the island entirely and fall straight back down to the Surface!"

Quote thought for a bit. "Okay, so that's out of the question." He spoke. "What about the Plantation? I remem-"

"No, absolutely not." Chaco cut him off. "The Plantation is completely off limits after the appearance of what the others are call the 'Red Devil' had started attacking anyone in there." She spoke, serious. "It's 100% sealed off. No one gets in, that thing doesn't get out."

"...duly noted." Quote spoke. "So what _can_ I do to get to the Corridor?"

"Not anything I can think of right now sadly." Chaco said, shrugging. "But you might be able to help out with something."

"And what's that?" Quote asked.

"I had just finished talking to Jack as you walked in." Chaco spoke. "He and Sue are trying to get the teleporters back online to connect to the other parts of the island, and you might be able to help out with the one here."

"Explain." Quote spoke, crossing his arms.

"Well, we're having to deal with a nuisance ever since we started this entire reconstruction process." Chaco spoke. "Large, green, blocky; kinda like that Balrog friend of yours except cross-bred with a snake. That thing has been running rampant around the place tearing the entire thing up as he goes!"

"Let me guess..." Quote said. "You want me to deal with the nuisance?"

"Please." Chaco said. "The room for the teleporter is just above the giant opening above the town. You might need to reactivate the fan circuits to do so though."

"Alright." Quote spoke, starting to head off before Chaco stopped him.

"Oh! One more thing." She said, handing him a key. "Use this to get into the Storehouse on the far side of Grasstown; we thank that's where this thing may be hiding out between its mischief problems."

Quote nodded, then exited out of the tower and looked up at the large gaping hole above the tower. He thought for a moment; it was quite the height off the ground. How was he going to be able to scale such a towering structure to get up through that hole without his Booster?

Then he noticed all the construction scaffolding around the area...

And an idea came to him.

Backing up a bit, he soon took a running start and jumped onto a large mushroom, the bouncy cap propelling him upwards onto a higher scaffolding on the side of the tower. After sticking the landing, he'd look back down below at the ground. "Hope they don't mind me using this for now..." Quote said, staqrting to scale up the scaffolding surrounding the outside tower until he had reached some hanging blocks on chains connected to the ceiling. Backing up and leaping forward, he'd land on the chaned block as it would swing from his momentum, causing it to rock back and forth a fair amount. Eyes quickly darting, he'd notice a hanging stone staircase nearby and used the momentum of his jump to the block to reach the stairs, landing hard on it. Gritting his teeth from the hard landing, he'd get up to find the staircase leasing up through the ceiling hole and into another section of Grasstown. He'd take a deep breath as he walked up the stairs towards the new sector...

* * *

Curly was very much mad right now.

Here she was, currently having to deal with a group of unruly beetles trying to get at her, and neither Quote or Balrog were anywhere in sight for her to try and escape from the place unharmed! Gritting her teeth, she'd turn and open fire on the beetles before ducking behind her cover again; stuck in the ruined Egg Corridor with no reasonable way of trying to get back to anywhere!

"Dammit, why'd this return trip have to end up like this?!" She growled, opening fire with her Nemesis on the group of beetles. "It always has to go awry like this!"

She cursed to herself as she thought. Balrog and Quote couldn't be worse off than her, right?

* * *

Meanwhile in the heated section of the Sand Zone, Balrog was... face first in the sand pit, his stumpy legs waving back and forth like a lunatic.

"SMMMHWHHNN!" Balrog yelled as he was muffled by the sand. "EHHHNYWHHNN! HHHLLP MMMHHHH!"

Looks like Curly was half-right about Balrog being worse off...

* * *

Quote would soon reach the top of the staircase, looking out into the other areas of the expanded Grasstown. The place was heavily under construction up here as other scaffolds were lining parts of the walls and ground to try and build housing up for other Mimigas. Across the hole he'd see a console sitting on an outcropping, along with a small fan right near it. Moving around the large hole, he'd reach the other side of the terminal to see a prompt.

 _ **/CIRCUIT FAN A IS SET TO 'OFF'. SWITCH ON? Y/N**_

Deciding there was no other way to get across to where he needed to go, Quote would set the fan to on. The fan below him would begin to whirr up as it soon started blowing across the chasm in the center of the larger room. Taking a deep breath, he'd leap as the current from the fan caught him and propelled him towards the other side of the chasm, landing on the hanging stone scaffold that held a small building on it. Upon his landing though, Quote could have sworn he heard a 'KHSS' come from the inside of the building.

'Must be that snake thing that's causing the problems...' Quote thought. Gripping the Spur tightly, he'd approach the door with caution before kicking it in, aiming the Spur at the intruder.

At the very least, Chaco's description of the creature was accurate; there was a large green box-like creature the size of Balrog and a snake-like face messing with the teleporter within the room. He didn't even her Quote having broken the door down as he mumbled to himself.

"Ohohohoho, Suto, you've done it again! Oooh!" The creature said to itself, tampering with the teleporter, unaware of Quote's presence. "They're going to be so, so mad about this! Ooohohoho!" Since the visitor didn't seem to be paying any attention to Quote, he did the only logical thing in the situation.

He unloaded a charged Spur shot striaght into the creature's back, causing it to collapse forward in pain. It sa there flailing for a bit before it got back up, turning and glaring towards Quote.

"And just WHO do you think you might be as to attack me so brazenly?!" The creature would hiss, staring down Quote as he held the Spur aimed directly for the creature's face, unmoving and unreplying. "Oh, so some sort of tough guy are ya?! Khss! Robots like you make me sick! I've no time to deal with you!" And with that, the figure would burst out of the ceiling and ran off somewhere.

Quote silently cursed to himself, holstering the Spur as he moved over to the teleporter to investigate it. He cursed to himself; the link card for Grasstown was stolen out of the teleporter itself. Coming to the conclusion he'd have to chase the creature to the storehouse, he left the teleporter shack and started making his way across the grassy caverns, sliding down ruined structures and leaping over pits of the red spikes he had come to grow to loathe. Landing on the other side of the pit, he'd soon find himself smushed underneath one of the Power Critters, the large floppy blue creature trying to nuzzle Quote a bit. Figuring he had no time to deal with this, he lightly shoved the large Critter off him and continue on his way.

Soon enough he'd come to another open part of the cavern, large stone pillars and hanging stone structures adorning the room, seemingly creating a path upwards towards an opening near the top of the room. Looking at the pillars closer, he'd see the pillars and hanging structures were lined with fans, cables running to several computer consoles below the pillars. Quote would think about how to work it... before a familiar voice spoke.

"Ah, kind robot!" The voice said. "You've returned to the island!"

Quote sweatdropped. "Good to see you too Malco..." Quote said, turning around to see the robot endoskeleton, still with that crushed head to one side. "So how've you been?"

"Fine, fine!" Malco responded, it's head tilting a bit. "Just hectic ever since that snake thing showed up! I presume you're heading to take care of it at its hiding spot?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Quote spoke before being interrupted.

"Say no more!" Malco spoke. "I shall help you get up there!" He said, leaping up onto the first pillar.

"Aaaaand... how exactly is this going to help?" Quote asked, crossing his arms.

"Simple!" Malco responded. "The circuit breaker for the sixth pillar's fans are higher up and not on the same level as the other five pillars. Have me get up there, and I can affix them on for you without the need for you to backtrack!"

Quote would think a bit. Malco definitely had a point about that...

"Alright, deal." Quote said, getting near the base of the first pillar on the terminal.

"Alright, now when I yell for you to move, hoof it to the next terminal to activate that one!" Malco said. "These first five fans only stay active for a set amount of time before they shut off!"

"Got it." Quote said, throwing the first switch as Malco was hoisted into the air. As soon as Malco yelled, "MOVE NOW!", Quote took off for the next terminal, throwing that switch and sending the robot up on the next pillar. "NOW TO THE LEFT!" Malco yelled as Quote hurdled an owl block to the third terminal, throwing the switch on that as Malco was again lifted from the fans on that pillar.

"NOW THE FOURTH!" Malco said, and Quote legged it as hard as he could to the next terminal, just barely dodging a set of spikes on the ground as he threw the next switch, the next set of fans activating.

"LAST ONE! DO IT!" Malco yelled, causing Quote to break into a sprint before he hit the switch on the console, activating the last set of fans as Malco soon lifted off the fifth pillar and onto the sixth pillar. "Alright! I shall activate the sixth pillar from here and then be down to repeat the process with you!"

"Alright..." Quote said, leaning against the stone pillar as Malco soon activated the sixth pillar's fans, the air flowing as the robot endoskeleton lept down the other pillars of fans back to the first one, the male scout robot meeting him there.

"Okay, the fans are active!" Malco said as Quote met him back at the first pillar. "Go ahead and get up on the platform!"

Quote merely nodded, getting onto the first platform as he steeled his nerves, clenching his fists. "Alright..." Quote said, taking a deep breath. "ONE!" Soon enough he'd feel the wind blow him upwards towards the set of horizontal fans.

"TWO!" Quote yelled, feeling the fans blow him towards the second pillar as the wind pushed him higher on the second pillar. Approaching the next set of horizontal fans, Quote gave the cue.

"THREE!" Quote would clench his eye shut, feeling the wind continuing to blow him upwards.

"FOUR!" He yelled again, the fans picking up as he ascended higher, clenching his teeth at the upcoming last one.

"FIVE!" He yelled, feeling the last set going as he was soon thrown through the air and onto a stone floor overlooking the pillars before him. "Nnnngghh..."

"Are you okay?!" Malco yelled.

"I-I'll be fine!" Quote said, getting to his feet. "Look, I'll talk to ya later! Lemme take care of business first!" He said, moving away from the ledge and heading forwards into the next room. The stone floor would definitely give the appearance it had seen better days, cracks and erosion everywhere on it as Quote looked to the metal storehouse, adorned with three fake skulls on the outside of it. Unholstering the Spur and gripping tightly to it, Quote kicked in the door, moving in like a SWAT member as he scanned the room.

...No sight of the large green snake-Balrog creature, meaning he was in luck for the time being as he looked around the abandoned storehouse. Noticing a chest sitting out on one of the crates, Quote would cautiously walk over to it and quietly open the chest.

...it was empty.

"Khss khss khss! Thought I'd just leave the teleporter key out in the open did you?" The familiar voice said as the large green creature crashed down in front of the door, blocking Quote's escape. "What do you take me for, a fool?"

Quote would grip the Spur, aiming right for the center of the creature's face.

"Ah, a defiant little shit aren't you? Khss Khss!" The snake creature said. "Well, you'll soon see how far that gets you. Khss!"

Quote gritted his teeth, keeping the Spur squarely trained on the creature.

"I suppose we haven't been properly introduced..." The creature spoke. "I am Suto." A wicked smile soon appeared on its face. " _YOUR UNMAKER!_ "

Quote gritted his teeth as the assailant soon rushed at him, lunging for a bite. Quote would dodge-roll out of the way before firing off several shot's into Suto's back. The snake box would his before opening its mouth, spitting out three small metal snakes as they hit the ground and started crawling towards Quote at an alarming rate. Quote tensed up as he jumped over the snakes as the slithered towards the wall and went up it, colliding with the ceiling and breaking. Quote tensed up as Suto would come running at him again, Quote running at the green block creature and vaulting him as he got close, unleashing another blast into Suto as he vaulted. The green snake block would reach the opposite wall and leap up, spitting out two more small metal snakes that fell to the ground and started crawling towards Quote. The robot tensed up as he shot the two snakes with the Spur, turning them to nothing more than scrap metal on the floor.

Suto seemed enraged by the shooting of his snakes and charged straight for Quote, intending to run him over. The scout robt had other plans as he ducked down and slammed his feet squarely into Suto's underside, sending the large green box figure flying into the air and crashing into a heap on the ground a few feet away. Quote panted as Suto got back up, stamping its foot in anger as it looked at him with angry glaring eyes.

"You wanna play hardball?! Khss khss!" Suto hissed angrily, glaring at Quote. "THEN YOU'LL GET A HARDBALL!" Suto would then spit out a horde of the metallic snakes, all rushing for Quote immediately upon seeing him. Knowing he wouldn't have enough time to charge a piercing shot for the Spur, he'd holster the weapon and draw the Snake, opening fire on the multiple tiny metal snakes and shredding through them with each frantic shot. However, Quote would soon be distracted as Suto charged him and tackled him to the ground, biting hard into his left arm. Quote cried in pain as the large green block creature bit into him, almost feeling like it was going to rip his arm off. Getting desperate, he unholstered the Spur and jammed it directly into Suto's side, pulling the trigger and blasting the block snake off him. Quote got to his feet, panting heavily as he kept the gun trained on Suto, unmoving.

"Khss! Alright, you know what?!" Suto yelled, getting to his feet. "Take your stupid card and get lost!" He would then throw the keycard, conking Quote square in the face and flooring him entirely as Suto escaped from the storehouse. Quote rubbed his forehead in pain as he sat up in pain, grabbing the keycard off the ground. Well, at least he got what he came for...

Getting up, Quote would walk to the door and step out of the storehouse, taking a deep breath in just to grab his bearings again. But he wouldn't even have time for that as the island shook violently again, starting to throw Quote off his balance.

And then his luck would run out; larger cracks started to appear in the flooring of the outside stone floor where the storehouse was situated, growing in measurable size and damage as they shattered entirely...

And then the floor gave out from under him. Quote almost felt his heart stop as the floor collapsed from under him, looking back up at Grasstown as he felt himself falling faster and faster...

The air around him would chill, and Quote knew exactly what that meant.

 _He was falling out the underside of the island._

* * *

Curly had reached the door, panting like mad as she flung it open to get away from the hellish Egg Corridor and the gigantic beetles. She'd lean against the wall, sliding down it until she was sitting on the ground, panting hard and face flushed red; she definitely did not have a good time trying to fight those beetles. Waiting for her strength to return to her, she felt a cool breeze blow by her, as if the cave had open-flowing air. Piquing her curiosity, she'd peak over the edge to see where she was.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw it was a long, straight shaft down to out of the island, the clouds rushing past just near the bottom mouth of the cave. Curly swallowed hard; she wasn't expecting to be placed somewhere so dangerous! However, squinting a bit, she could make out what looked like a safety platform below. There was the chance she could potentially descend to below and be able to walk away from the fall. She swallowed hard. She'd only have one shot at this though; if she missed that safety platform, she was falling right off the island. And there'd be no way she'd be able to walk away from that.

Swallowing hard, she'd begin her descent by a small leap to an outcropping on the side of the wall. Upon her landing on the outcropping, a few pebbles would chip off and fall down below, still emphasizing the long fall if Curly messed this up. The female scout robot would lightly inhale, keeping herself calm as best she could before she made her next leap down...

The second platform she leaped to cracked and slanted, nearly giving out from under her as she wobbled before gripping hard onto the wall, not wanting to fall. Steeling her nerves as best she could, she slightly moved a bit to get ready for another leap...

...and the entire platform gave out from under her causing her to fall and crash into another outhanging ledge. Thankfully this one was much sturdier than the one she was using earlier. She got to her knees, wincing a bit from the pain of the fall as she looked out at the pit. Only two more jumps she needed to take. Readying herself, he lept to the next ledge...

...and felt it break under her landing as she plummeted to the lower ledge in front of a door. Gritting her teeth in pain as she sat up, she'd look onwards at the door she crashed in front of before turning and seeing the large 'safety platform' in the hole behind her. She sighed in relief, thankful that she made it in one piece as she got up and started walking towards the door... but she heard something behind her. Turning around, she'd see another door on the far side of the gap, surrounded by a red mist-like substance and crackling a bit. Looking at it for a bit, Curly shook her head; she needed to prioritize finding Quote and Balrog first and foremost. Walking to the first door she saw, she'd open it up as a breeze of warmer air blew past her. She'd shudder, feeling the warmer air across her cold metal skin as she walked into the area, closing the door behind her.

Upon entering her new area, she'd see a large body of water in front of her along with a few platforms. Carefully jumping between the platforms, she'd soon climb her way up a small rocky wall to find herself in the Mimiga Village. She sighed in relief as at least she had a familiar location now, but it still raised the question:

 _Where is Quote?_

Thinking she'd get some answers around the place, she headed off for the town hall to try and search for answers. Feeling a chill run up her spine a bit, she'd soon knock on the door to the Assembly Hall, waiting a bit before the door opened, Jack being shocked upon the sight of the female scout.

"Oh jeez!" He said, recoiling a bit before gathering his bearings. "Uh... you've certainly seen better days..."

Curly would sigh. "Not now Jack, I'm looking for Quote. Have you seen him?" She asked.

"Ah, you just missed him!" Jack responded, bringing Curly inside. "He went off to Grasstown not too long ago to talk to Chaco. I'm sure he'll be back soon enough, why not wait here?"

Curly would shrug, leaning against the back wall as she waited for Quote to come back...

* * *

Quote could feel the air rushing fast past him as he approached the bottom of the island, clamping his eyes shut and awaiting the inevitable cruching pain colliding with the surface would have... until he felt something hard stop him, feeling like he had just taken a cannonball to the gut as he had hit... an undernaging platform that was across the bottom of the island. Gritting his teeth from the pain, he'd open his only good eye... to see that his Spur was starting to slide towards the edge of the platform, about to fall off. Not even caring about the pain at this point, Quote scrambled to his feet and dived for the gun just as it went over the edge of the platform...

...and caught it in the nick of time before it would fall out of his reach. Quote sighed in relief. That was _too_ close for comfort there.

Getting back up and securely holstering the Spur to himself, Quote began walking across the perilous terrain of the Underside. The entire pathway was being hung by merel chains and girders protruding from the dark-blue rocky face of the island, several Mimiga-like statures would be hanging from the ceilings at sporadic intervals, chains holding blocks with and girders above the swirling cloud vortex below didn't exactly make Quote feel easy as he lept a gap in the pathway, soon climbing up another small rocky bank before coming to... a dead end, the cloud vortex swirling below as Quote looked onwards, seeing another set of hanging earth away from him, way out of range for him to attempt to jump to.

He gripped his fists, angry at his current situation... before the blocks across materialized in front of him, almost completely phasing in from existence. Quote was hesitant; he couldn't be sure if this was a trap or not, so he did a test; grabbing a rock from where he was standing, he underhand tossed it to the platform that had materialized. He was in luck; the rock landed on the platform. Breathing a bit of a sigh of relief, Quote backed up before he ran and lept onto the platform, soon following the path of the girders and blocks across to another secured underhang of the island. Quote began to climb up...

"My my, the witch Jenka must have some sort of belief in you... Genesis usually isn't this predictable..." A familiar voice said, causing Quote to freeze up. Glancing back at another underhang, he'd find none other than the hood-wearing enigma Cthulhu looking at him... from upside down. He was standing on the _ceiling_. Quote sighed; he _really_ didn't want any more interaction with this guy.

"What do you want?" Quote spoke, distressed a bit from the hooded-figure's presence, doubly-so from his inverted stature.

"A mere word of warning, my robotic comrade." Cthulhu spoke. "The beings that are causing the island's tearing are not to be trifled at; they are powerful, and destructive. And they _will_ kill you should you not be careful."

"Well then what do I do?" Quote said, now not even looking at the Cthulhu as he continued climbing the small rocky wall up.

"Listen carefully." Cthulhu spoke. "Their marks of corrupted red entryways lead to their domains. Their domains shall have you see the same color unless you trust your instincts."

"Trust my... what does that-" Quote would turn around, only to find the hooded figure to have disappeared. "...mean..." Feeling unnerved, Quote continued moving as he soon came across a shack connecting the main pillar of the ground he was standing on to the island itself. Swallowing hard, the scout robot would walk inside the shack, finding it was abandoned, just merely a bookcase and- wait, there was something behind the bookcase...

Catching his curiousity, Quote would walk over and inspect behind the bookcase, finding a chest of some kind. Pulling it out, he'd find it was hidden in the wall. He opened the chest... and found a note.

 _Wow, can't believe I almost missed this one! This thing's hidden as well as our hideout!_

 _-Pignon the Stealthy_

"There's that name again..." Quote muttered to himself as he looked to the other door, stepping out of it and taking a few steps towards the edge again... only for the block he was standing on to start moving towards the next hanging land chunk! Quote nearly lost his balance as the block started moving, keeping ahold of it until he got to the next island hanging from the massive chunk above him. Taking a deep breath and walking to the next side of the chunk, he'd find another Mimiga statue, although this one was rightside up as opposed to every other statue on the Underside. Curious, Quote walked up to the statue and read the inscription on it...

 _Proceed to the land of those not forgotten..._

As soon as Quote read that scripture, a large steel girder would extrude from the platform as it stretched out to another underside of the island, seemingly not stopping. Quote took a deep breath as he stepped onto the girder, walking along its length as he recounted the transpired events within the last two hours, already resulting in him on another twisted adventure across the island's land mass once again. He sighed; things really weren't going his way right now...

Soon enough he reached where that steel girder had connected to; a small obscure underhang of the island housing a single door. Taking a deep breath, he walked through the door into the new location.

The new location Quote had stepped into appeared to be a hallowed ground. The terrain would certainly feel familiar to him as he walked forward... like it was part of the Mimiga Graveyard...

A shudder went down Quote's mechanical spine as he walked along the path laid out in front of him, passing several graves, each bearing some form of name that Quote didn't recognize. A steep slope down led Quote further into this quiet place, this Sanctuary of Spirits, towards another set of unmarked graves off to the side, a small wooden staircase leading upwards as lanterns with dim blue fire barely illuminated the way forward. The soft chiming of a music box could be heard by, keeping Quote from panicking as he continued towards the other end of the large grave-riddled cavern, soon reaching another door at the end.

Slowly cracking it open, Quote would move through to soon find himself in a square wooden room with a single hanging flame in the center of it. Feeling uneasy, Quote would start to move to an adjacent room as he soon found the door slamming behind him. Looking up, he'd see the same flame torch from the previous room.

 _The fire was following him, sealing the doors._

Taking a deep breath, Quote soon dashed towards another exit and cleared through two rooms. The flame wasn't moving fast enough to catch up and seal off the entryways, and soon Quote had dived through an entryway right as the door slammed shut behind him, locking Quote into the small room. Taking a minute to catch his breath, Quote would move through the only available door...

...and fall face-first to the ground as the door was over air in the Spirit Sanctum. Quote would righten himself onto his rear end, holding his head in pain as his vision started to clear. He could see three graves, one with a sword embedded into it, a wide one, and one of a Mimiga... and a small white Mimiga standing in front of it? Quote rubbed his eye to try and clear his vision. What he saw almost made his heart stop; the familiar green-sweater wearing Mimiga with her back to him was all too familiar a painful sight to him...

 _Toroko._

"T-Toroko?" Quote choked out, looking onwards at the Mimiga.

"...I thought you were strong..." The Mimiga said, Quote now noticing the tiny will-o-wisps surrounding her body.

"..." Quote started to back away.

"I thought you'd be able to save me..." The Mimiga said, turning to face Quote with its red eyes glaring at him. "But you didn't. You killed me."

Quote was confused now. What was Toroko meaning? He remembered he tried to put her to rest easily...

He wouldn't have time to think though; the will-o-wisps soon surrounded Toroko, transforming her into the large hulking creature that he had been forced to fight before a year ago. Teh enraged spirit Mimiga would roar before leaping into the air, throwing a block straight for Quote. The robot steeled his nerves as he dodged out of the way, charging the Spur as he waited for the spiritual Toroko to attack again. Once she grabbed the block in her hands, Quote would fire off a Level 3 blast right at the spirit Toroko, causing the ghost to rear back in pain before it lunged at Quote. The robot would duck down, driving his feet into the spirit Mimiga and launching her over him, feeling tense as he kept the Spur squarely trained right on the spirit Mimiga... but then she'd grip her head in pain, as if suffering.

"No, no, NO!" It yelled, shrinking back down to the normal Toroko size. "This sin't what I'm supposed to be doing! I don't belong here!"

"Toroko..?" Quote asked, slowly reaching a hand out to her spiritual frame.

"Th-the rage is gone... but I'm still dead..." Torko spoke, fear evident in her voice. "Wh-what did I die for? What did big brother die for? What... what did King die for?"

"...what did we die for?" Another voice spoke, the spirit of King materializing in front of the grave with the sword. "For our people; our home; the island." Toroko would turn to look at the spirit King. "It doesn't matter if its a demon, or that cursed Crown, or... them..." His face would grimace a bit upon saying that. "We lived and died for what we cared about."

"King..." Toroko said.

"It's too late to save us now..." King spoke, looking to Quote. "But he can still save everyone else on this island. It's time to go Toroko..." With that, King would walk back to his grave and vanish, leaving the green sweatered Mimiga alone with Quote.

"I..." She spoke. "I feel peaceful now.."

Quote would nod. "Rest easy, Toroko..."

"I-I will." Toroko spoke, starting to fade. "And... and if you see Sue, tell her... tell her I lived a happy life..." She'd set something down on the ground in front of her, a silver fish locket... "G-goodbye..." And with that, Toroko's spirit disappeared, leaving Quote alone in the small Spirit Sanctum. Walking forward and picking up the locket, another voice soon spoke to Quote.

"She finally calmed herself down?" The voice said, causing Quote to jump. "That sister of mine, always in and out of trouble with King, just like she was with me..."

"Wh-who's there?" Quote said, eyes darting around.

"That would be... me." The voice said as Quote turned around, seeing another spirit Mimiga, this one wearing an orange vest, sitting on top of the largest gravestone in the room. "Arthur. Her brother."

"You're... you're Arthur?" Quote asked.

"Mhm." The spirit Mimiga responded. "And I must thank you for what you've done. For saving my sister; avenging my friend's death. You kept your promises you made to them."

"I..." Quote started, before Arthur raised a paw.

"Please, you don't need to say anything." Arthur responded. "I can understand how you feel right now; confused, maybe even a little bit fearful. However..." He looked to Quote's eye. "I can feel a powerful soul inside that robotic body of yours; an unbreaking spirit. Someone... to continue our legacy."

"Your legacy?" Quote asked, receiving a nod from the orange-vested Mimiga.

"None of us have any regrets for our lives now. We're free to move on." Arthur said. "We're finally at peace... and I could at least meet the one who King and Toroko trusted in their darkest hours."

Quote was silent as Arthur soon continued.

"But this island... this homestead... it has no more use for my memory. It is time for someone else to take the reigns of fate into their hands... one who can steer it to a hopeful future." Arthur would pull a sword out from behind the massive gravestone; it was nearly identical to King's Blade, but this one was a more golden metal, a blue sapphire embedded right into the center of the blade base. "I offer to you my blade."

"R... really?" Quote asked.

Arthur would nod, Quote cautiously taking the sword from Arthur. "Your soul can do no wrong with it..." He spoke as he faded away...

Quote would sheath the blade onto his back, taking a deep breath. He'd start to feel a bit lightheaded though...

Soon enough he'd feel the world warp around him as he felt a surge of heat hit him like a ton of bricks. And judging from the grittiness on his feet, he knew where he had ended up.

 ** _The Sand Zone._**

Clearing his vision, he could definitely tell he was there; the gritty sand and the rising embers along with the ruins made it all too-evident. What was new appeared to be the foundry equipment and the mining vehicles as they burrowed into sides of the walls. Keeping his head level, Quote would start ascending the Eroding Valve where he had warped into as he made his way towards the top of the room. Small red metal orbs with red eyes would roll past him, heading further down into the area, which confused him, but then he had just assumed they were merely scout drones or something along those lines. Continuing up the sandy slopes, he'd soon find another door leading into the inner parts of the Sand Zone. He'd walk through the door...

...and almost his eyes would widen at what he saw. The new Sand Zone had changed massively since the year's past; the chamber was much more open, hanging structures all around the massive cavern, a humongous pool of lava at the bottom with several sandy reefs in it along with hanging housing from the upper portions of the cavern. Large cast-iron buckets filled with the molten rock were carried across the ceiling of the zone, leading towards separate parts of a gigantic foundry running through the entire heated zone. The normal mobs would still be active, stamping across the sandy bars and the hanging structures of the cavern. Several houses would be surrounding the Zone, but right smack dab in the center of the entire sand Zone, held there by four massive linked chains attached to the walls, was none other than Jenka's home, a red mystical barrier covering the entrances inside it.

"What the..." Quote said, breathing deeply as he was tapped on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Jeez kid, it's only me!" The voice said as Quote would turn to see the familiar bushy-eyebrowed Mimiga, elicting a sigh of relief from the robot boy.

"Sorry, a bit on edge right now..." Quote said. "What happened to the Sand Zone?"

"Industrialization, that's what!" Santa said, looking out at the Sand Zone. "With the island collapsing more and more each day, Chaco wanted a foundry set up so we could get us some support girders set up to try and keep the caves from collapsing in on themselves more than they already have!"

"What... what happened to Jenka?" Quote asked.

"I dunno, but she hasn't come out of her home for quite some time now!" Santa spoke, pointing to the barrier. "And we can't get in to see if she's okay!"

Quote would look worried. "Is there any sort of way I can help?" He asked.

Santa merely shook his head. "Not that I know of. But that old Booster guy is living here as well as Misery. If you find either of them, they'll probably be able to help you along your way!"

Quote would nod, turning back to the sights in front of him, trying to think of how he was going to get down there from how high up he was... until he saw the steel cabling, and an idea popped into his head, taking the newly acquired blade he had gotten from Arthur and leaping to the cable, using it as a zipline as he sped downwards towards a platform. Once he was in dropping range, he removed the blade from the cable, dropping to the ground and landing with a thud; time to find Misery or Booster.

Keeping his eyes level, he'd start moving across the hanging sand bank as a few Skullwalkers would start stampeding his way. Keeping the trigger primed, he'd take aim and open fire with the Spur, the laser blasting through three of the Skullwalkers with no effort as another three continued at Quote. The male scout robot would dodge to the side, continuing his run as he lept from block to block. By this point he was really wishing he had asked Malco for that Missile Launcher he returned to him that year ago. Rocket jumping through the area would have made the travel so much easier...

A horde of Terrorkeets would fly overhead as Quote rounded a corner of the hanging sandbank, soon seeing another building up ahead. Skidding to a halt, he'd notice the nearby teleporter. Confused, he'd go into the building. It was a bit dank, which was odd for a building in the Sand Zone; but then Quote would notice the sleeping dog near a chest, instantly recognizing it as one of Jenka's dogs. Approaching the dog quietly, he'd soon freeze up as he stepped on something that snapped. He looked down.

 _He had stepped on a bone._

The dog had immediately woken up and started barking at him, soon accompanied by two other dogs behind him as Quote felt uneasy, glancing around him and the barking dogs. Then another bark came as another dog stepped out of the shadows, one Quote recognized almost instantly.

Nene.

"At ease my brothers." The dog spoke. Quote had decided that wasn't the strangest thing he had seen upon his return to the island and decided to roll with it. "Welcome back Quote. Sorry the return hasn't exactly been... hospitable, to say the least."

"I can tell." Quote spoke. "What's happened to Jenka?"

"She's fallen ill... worriedly so..." Nene spoke. "She's trapped in a neverending nightmare and she won't awaken from it..."

"Well, how do I help then?" Quote spoke. Nene looked to the other dogs and they nodded, rushing out of the room.

"My friends are getting the teleporters manned for you to use." She spoke. "Booster or Misery can explain it better than we can." She'd then nudge the chest to Quote. "If you need to reset the teleporters for any reason, take this." She spoke. "Just be careful; our ears are sensitive to it."

Quote would open the chest to soon find a dog whistle inside it. Picking it up and nodding, he'd soon walk to the first teleporter and nod to the dog, getting sent off to another part of the Sand Zone.

Stepping out of the teleporter, Quote could see what appeared to be a small workshop just a bit a ways below him. The foundry equipment however, was blocking the way, meaning he'd have to find an alternative route rather than straight down. Giving the Spur a rest and unholstering the Snake, Quote took off West of the teleporter, skidding along a patch of rough sand as several Sandcrocs would lunge out to try and take a bite out of him. Firing his Snake back at them as they dipped back into the ground, Quote would roll under a massive molten rock tube as he moved to the next teleporter, nodding to the dog. It nodded as Quote teleported again.

Seeing no dog next to the teleporter, Quote deduced he was on the right track. Indeed he was; as he rounded a corner, he'd soon see Booster's lab across from the way, past a magmafall. Taking care not to get burned, Quote slipped by the large heated feat and go right into the Workshop.

Unfortunately for him, his timing was _way_ off; Professor Booster was nowhere in sight. Quote sighed, soon looking to the workbench within the shop to see a Booster v0.8 lying on it. Quote sighed, taking the Booster with him for the time being; he'll just have to return it to Booster later. But then he'd notice the open document on the computer screen. Curious, Quote took a look at it.

 _Measurements confirmed._

 _Cavern volume increasing.  
Island Size increasing.  
Mass remains constant._

 _Analysis: This would explain why many areas are connected now, and can be visited without a teleporter. However, this also means the walls are getting this trend continues, the island will no longer be able to support itself. It will crumble under it's own weight..._

A red flag immediately set off in Quote's head; whatever is happening, he needed to find Misery or Booster fast.

Rushing out of the Workshop, Quote would notice another teleporter near the top of the Sand Zone's ceiling. Running back to his original teleporter, he blew the whistle as the dogs reset the teleporters, soon leaping into the one he just got out of and warping up to the upper teleporter room. After he finished warping, he took off across the sands, leaping over a couple of the native mobs to the Sand Zone before skidding to a halt right in front of Misery's abode. Sighing in hope, he'd enter into the abode.

It was a bit darker than the rest of the Sand Zone, the abode lined with several potion brewing stands and the like, a small table and chair off to one side and a bed at the far back of the room. Quote wouldn't get long to search around before a familiar voice spoke.

"Alright, who do you think you are barging into my-" Misery spoke as she warped in, quickly catching herself as she soon saw who was in the room. "Q-Quote?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine Misery." Quote answered. "All I know right now is that I've been led on a massive goose-chase around the entire island at this point, something involving Jenka being stuck in a sleeping nightmare."

"...so you heard." Misery spoke, lowering herself to the ground. "I'm surprised you came on such short notice however."

"Didn't have much of a choice there." Quote spoke. "Next thing I know, Curly, Balrog and myself are thrown into different parts of the island entirely. We're all split up across the entire place and I don't know where any of them are!"

Misery would think a bit, then nod. "Well, I do suppose I owe you an explanation for what's going on with my mother..." She spoke. "After my mother succumbed to her... illness, let's call it, two forces had started appearing on the island from my mother's arcane powers and wreaking havoc in their own respective areas; Genesis, a creature who creates up from the ashes of ruin, and Oblivion, a creature who craves for nothing but destruction and the inevitable demise of all things. Together, they have been completely destabilizing the island in its entirety and is risking its complete collapse."

Quote would nod. "So these two creatures... is Jenka controlling them?"

"I wouldn't necessarily jump to that conclusion boy!" A voice spoke as Quote and Misery looked at the entrance, Professor Booster walking in. "Misery has already checked; Jenka is completely unconscious, there's no way she's being able to control them right now."

"Never underestimate a witch's control over something, even unconsciously." Misery spoke.

"Even then..." Booster spoke. "I feel that there's a third party at play here."

"Third party?" Misery asked. "That'd be impossible! Quote killed the only other person it could've been; the Doctor! There's no way he could have survived after Quote and Curly killed the Core with him inside it!"

"Look at it this way." Booster spoke. "Why would Jenka, of all people, actively tear the island apart? Furthermore, do we destroy Genesis and Oblivion to wake her? Or is it a vice versa case, where we have to wake her to destroy Genesis and Oblivion?"

Misery would think. "You have a point... but even then, not even my uncle could do something like this!"

"He can't." Quote said. "I killed him, he's been dead for over a year now."

"..." Booster would think before he spoke again. "Misery."

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's possible... she's mourning Ballos's death?" Booster asked. "That perhaps, that's what's driven her to create these hellish nightmares unleashed onto the island?"

"It's... possible." Misery spoke. "If her nightmares are what's driving her to eliminate the thought of him so thoroughly..."

"...then it's the reason why she's destroying the island." Quote said. "Meaning if we're going to stop this, we can't waste any more time than we need to."

Booster would nod. "I see you already have one of my Boosters equipped." Professor Booster spoke. "If I could get an energy cell from the Labyrinth, I could get it fully complete to a 2.0."

Misery would nod. "We'll try to get in contact with the Mimiga Village about the crisis going on. You focus on getting that cell."

Quote nodded, soon taking off to try and find the entrance to the Labyrinth...

* * *

洞窟物語: ジェンカスの悪夢

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
Jenka's Nightmare Arc**_  
 _ **Chapter 2 End**_


	13. Arc 2: Chapter 3: Lost

The male scout robot would be running across the dunes, trying to look for the exit to the Sand Zone so he could get to the Labyrinth as he rounded another corner. Upon seeing another sandy door at the end of the hanging sandbar he was ambushed by another horde of Skullwalkers, he dodged to the side as he threw a flurry of shots from the Snake, the waving flames ripping right through the marrow of the bony creatures as he continued running towards the entryway. After a few minutes he had reached the entryway, leading into a short sandy corridor with a few pools of lava. The first thing that would be drawn to Quote's attention however was the pair of stubby legs waving out of the sand where it was buried. Quote's hopes shot back up; he found Balrog! Rushing over to the gigantic square, he'd grab the legs and begin pulling, grunting as he exerted his strength tho pull the gigantic box-thing out of the ground. With a final yank, Quote pulled the box out as it landed with a thud.

"HUZZAH! I'M OUT!" Balrog yelled, shaking as he landed to get the sand off him. "I'm not sure how much longer I could have taken in there..."

"Good to see you're alright Balrog." Quote said, hugging the large box-thing. "How long have you been stuck there?"

"I'm not sure." Balrog said shaking a bit more sand off of him. "Where are we anyways?"

"We're back in the Sand Zone on the island." Quote said. "And right now, we don't have a lot of time. Are we able to get to the Labyrinth from here?"

"I think so." Balrog said, ducking down to let Quote climb onto his back. Just hold on while I smash us-" Balrog would then burst upwards slightly, a bit of black smoke rising up. "-out of here?" Balrog would try to fly again, but he couldn't even do that. "Crapbaskets, I think I have sand in my thrusters!"

"Shoot..." Quote said. "That's not good..."

"Well, if I can't ram upwards, I'll just have to ram forwards!" Balrog said, running forward at the wall as Quote fell from his back, landing in the sand as Balrog would soon yell his usual "HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!" before smashing through a wall and then a second wall past that, before finally smashing through a doorway, leaving a gaping Balrog-sized hole in it.

Quote would sit up, shaking his head before getting to his feet, walking after the giant box into the next room. The next room was certainly dank, smelling wet as if there was flowing water within the immediate area. Ahead of the two Balrog spotted a large boulder.

"Oh look at the size of that thing!" Balrog said, rushing up to the boulder. "There's gotta be something on the other side of the of this thing! Wanna help me move it Quote?"

Quote would think for a second, pondering the possibility of the entrance into the Labyrinth being on the other side of this massive boulder. Weighing the possibilities that this was literally the only way he could go, he nodded to Balrog, receiving a large smile from the box.

"Alright, you take that side!" He said, indicating to the left side of the boulder. Quote would nod as he walked over and took the side of the boulder, feeling his servos tense up a bit as he took ahold while Balrog grabbed from the other side.

"Alright, ready?" Balrog said.

"I think so..." Quote spoke, feeling a bit of a sharp tug.

"Alright... one, two, three!" Balrog said as the two flung the boulder into the air... and it came crashing down in front of the door, blocking their only way back.

"...goddamnit." Quote said, facepalming. "Now we're stuck in here."

"Uh... whoops?" Balrog said, shrugging a bit before the sound of something depressurizing came from in the room. Becoming tense, Quote grabbed the blade off his back, his eyes darting the room's corners.

He didn't expect the floor to completely open up underneath the two, whisking them off in the waters.

"BRRIIII CABBBB'T SWBIBIBIBIMBMBB!" Balrog gurgled out before crashing into Quote, knocking him unconscious as he was swept through the waters...

* * *

 _Quote couldn't tell what he was seeing right now in his memories... it was still a bit staticy, but he could make out what appeared to be... a lab? A man of some sort? There was a name tag on the coat... D..._

 _Then soon enough his memories faded into fuzz before he saw Curly and him running across the surface of the island, dodging gunfire and the like..._

 _Another fuzz, now seeing him and Curly in the throne room, Miakid with the Crown on his head across from them. The man would let out some sort of battle cry before charging at the two, large sword drawn at the ready..._

 _One last fuzz, this time he saw what appeared to be a small dark cave in the island, before his eyes shut and the recordings ended. Quote deduced he had just seen the time he had been shut off originally._

 _And then his circuits would go offline again..._

* * *

"Quote!" Balrog said, shaking the robot lightly as he tried to get him to wake up. Slowly but surely, Quote would come back online, his optic flickering back online as he started to look around.

"Ahhnnn..." Quote said, sitting up as he held his head. "Wh-what the hell happened?"

"That boulder must have set off some sort of trap." Balrog said. "We're in the Labyrinth now!"

"Nnngghh... well, at least that's good." Quote coughed, getting to his feet. "We should prioritize finding that Energy Cell for Booster. Once we have that, we'll prioritize finding a way out of here." He said, walking to the door of the small room the two were in.

Upon moving through the door, Quote and Balrog would soon find themselves into the largest bowels of the Labyrinth, which received a massive shifting since his first visit; massive conveyor belts shoveling through large heaps of garbage would be prevalent among the walls of the rocky chamber, dumping the large heaps down into the lower bowels of the chamber. On the conveyor belt were large Presses, crushing the garbage on the conveyor belt as other Gaudi creatures would be looking over the processes. Several vents on the parts of the walls would occasionally spew flames, evident of there being incinerators somewhere inside the walls to burn off the garbage flung into the place to begin with. Something would then catch Quote's eyes; what appeared to be a small calico cat scampering along the conveyor belts before disappearing into another corridor off to the side of the massive chamber.

"I think we might have a lead." Quote said, leaping down onto one of the conveyors. "C'mon Balrog!"

"Hey, wait up!" Balrog said, leaping down... and slamming into the conveyor belt, causing the entire structure to shake harshly and almost throwing Quote from the path.

"Easy there!" Quote yelled, hurdling piles of the trash before leaping to another belt, nearing the passage where the cat had fled down. At the last second he lept off the conveyor, rolling onto the cropping where the passage was... as Balrog faceplanted, right behind him, panting.

"Can we... slow down?" Balrog panted. "I'm not used to doing all this running with the sand in my thrusters..."

"I understand Balrog, but we need to keep moving." Quote said, stepping forward, soon finding a large corridor that spread out in front of them. And ahead of Quote would be a not-too-friendly reminder sight... the giant battle tank he and Curly had destroyed was back up and rebuilt, now with... drills attached to it?

"What the-" Quote started to speak before he was pounced on from the side, tackled to the ground as he felt a sharp knife embedded deep into his shoulder, before feeling a gloved paw stuffed over his mouth.

"I'm gonna make this clean cut you little metal shit." The cat said, hissing under her breath as she glared down Quote. "I don't care who you are or what you may have accomplished, point is, _you broke my tank last time._ And I don't take kindly to that..."

Quote struggled to move, only for the cat to press the knife further into his shoulder.

 _"Another move like that and you're losing your damn arm!"_ The cat hissed. "Now if you value your life, you're going to make up for the fact you blew up my ride the last time and help me get the fuel back for it. Understood?"

Quote would try to struggle, only feeling the pain of the knife jabbing deeper into his shoulder.

"Understood?!" The cat hissed louder, receiving a panicked nod from Quote.

"Good." She spat, ripping the knife out of Quote's shoulder. "Now find me the fuel; Critter juice, a secretement held by the gigantic Critter that lives within the walls of this cavern. Bring me some of that Critter secretement, and I'll let you leave here through the tunnel I'm drilling."

Quote got up, glaring at the cat before he stormed off, Balrog following behind him.

"Why didn't you get her off me?" Quote grumbled at Balrog.

"I wasn't expecting her coming!" Balrog said. "If I had been able to predict her coming I would've stopped her!"

Quote sighed, the two moving back into the main chamber. "Well, I'm not going to enjoy this any more than you're going to." Upon reaching the main chamber again, Quote would see a door lower in the chamber, near a lower conveyor belt hauling smashed garbage. Getting his bearings after a bitten arm, Quote lept down to the lower belt, Balrog soon following and nearly causing the entire conveyor to capsize from his impact.

"Aaack..." Quote sputtered out. "Can you _please_ try to be more careful Balrog?"

"Sorry..." Balrog said, sweatdropping in embarrassment as the two continued their walk to the door. Upon reaching the other side, they'd see what appeared to be a large sewer-system like structure spanning through the corridors, pumping toxic sludge and runoff through them into who knows where in the walls. Balrog would gag upon entering the room; he _really_ didn't like the smell in here. Quote could thankfully turn off his scent sensors, so it didn't exactly stunt his lungs as badly. It still caused him to gag a bit from the air's scent; not exactly the best thing for his synthetic lungs.

The two would trek along the smoggy corridor before the two would come to a familiar building to Quote; 'The Pits'. Quote would remember the name; it was here he and Curly got their objective to escape the Labyrinth to begin with thanks to the information from the owner of 'The Pits', Chaba. He thought that if there was anyone that could know a new way out of the Labyrinth, or where that Energy Cell Booster needed was, it would be him. Letting out a deep breath, Quote would enter into the building, Balrog... squeezing through it as best he could.

The cantina wouldn't have changed much from Quote's initial visit a year ago; still a large amount of other Gaudi, Critters, and old robots still enjoying their own times in the company of eachother as the cantina band still played the same tune as they did. Seeing Chaba behind the counter, Quote would smile; looks like he was still around to help. Taking a deep breath, he'd approach the counter.

"Hey Chaba, long time no see, as they say." Quote spoke, taking a seat at the counter.

The Gaudi would look up from the glass he was cleaning. "Ah, the robot boy I met a year ago to deliver that Whimsical Star module to Tetsuzou. Did he get the module proper?"

Quote would nod, unholstering the Spur and setting it down on the counter. "Here it is, the completed weapon in all its glory."

Chaba would take the gun and look at it a bit, his mandibles twitching. "Quite the impressive work he's made. Why do you have it though?"

"Well..." Quote spoke. "Long story short, Tetsuzou ended up giving me the gun after seeing how well I used the Polar Star."

"You a natural sharpshooter?" Chaba asked.

Quote nodded in response. "Anyways... I'm here looking for an Energy Cell for Professor Booster. Would you happen to now where I can find one?"

"Funny ya mention that, I had one being shipped out to the Sand Zone." Chaba spoke. "Though right now, I'm in a bit of a pickle myself."

"How so?" Quote asked.

"Well..." Chaba spoke, setting the glass down. "Long story short, my shipping boys got themselves into some deep shit out into the Revolutinarium, and now the cell is lost out there past the collapsed corridor. The security girl's trying to rebuild her tank and getting too feisty about it."

"I should know, she attacked me." Quote said, indicating to the stab on his shoulder.

"You look like more than her attacked you." Chaba said, looking over Quote. "What in the world happened to you? You look like a wreck."

"Long story." Quote said, leaning on the counter. "The crazy girl said I need Critter Juice or something to power that thing. You know where I can find some of that?"

"Well, deeper part of the Labyrinth oughta help ya out there." Chaba spoke. "There's said to be a massive Critter in the depths that's able to be a source for some. You could try there."

Quote would nod. "Alright, I-"

"One more thing." Chaba said, handing the robot boy a key. "Could you check out my cold storage in the deeper part while you're at it? Someone's been messing around with it in there and I can't find out who."

Quote would nod, taking the key from the large roach. "Sure thing." He said, pocketing the key. "One more question; by any chance do you have a computer somewhere in here with a messaging system?"

Chaba nodded, indicating to the staircase to the one side of the building. "Just up that staircase, first room on the left." He said, returning to polishing his glass.

Quote nodded, looking to the box-thing. "C'mon Balrog." He said, before the two walked off and headed up the stairs. Upon opening the first door on the left at the top of the staircase, Quote and Balrog would come to a computer in the room.

"Alright... let's just try to..." Quote said, starting to type into the computer...

* * *

Curly sighed, slowly sliding down the wall with her back to it as she soon sat on the floor, a small twinge of hopelessness setting into her mind and mechanical heart. Shouldn't Quote have been back from the Bushlands' Grasstown by this point? And where was Balrog? Why hadn't she tried using her comm unit at this point?

That last spark hit her; why _didn't_ she try using her comm unit? Raising a hand to her green headset, she'd hit the sync button to try to listen in to Quote.

Static. No response.

Curly sighed. Quote must have been out of the reception area for the comm unit, which wasn't a complete surprise for her; Grasstown was huge, he could've easily gotten lost out there, but she had confidence he'd be able to find his way back.

Sue meanwhile had gotten a bit of a small wardrobe change as she was working on the teleporter; a black sweater to replace her tattered blue one, and a pair of spare goggles to protect her eyes as she worked on the machine, still tinkering with the inner circuitry as she grunted in frustration.

Jack meanwhile was checking over the computer for any sort of new messages and updates, but so far there was nothing at all through the computer. He placed his head on the desk, sighing in frustration over the lack of communication. Where was Quote? Why wasn't he or Chaco getting back to him?

His answer would soon come as an IM ringing would come from the computer. Curious, he'd check the IP address of the call, and it appeared... it was coming from the Labyrinth? Jack was confused; the Labyrinth was crawling with Gaudi. Who'd be calling from there?

He'd get his answer soon enough as a familiar robotic face popped up on the screen accompanied by a large box-thing.

"Quote?!" Jack said, jumping up from his seat, which also grabbed the attention of Curly and Sue. "What in the blazes are you doing in the Labyrinth?!"

"Long story." Quote spoke, shaking his head. "But the point is I'm down here now, but I've got the data cards for Grasstown and now the Labyrinth. Once I ge-"

"QUOTE OH MY GOD!" Curly squealed as she shoved Jack out of the way and took up the screen. "Thank god you're okay!"

Quote would sigh in relief. "Same to you Curly. Glad you could make it out of the Egg Corridor okay."

Curly sighed. "It was hell, but I managed to survive and get out. This island though..."

"I know, it's got quite the change since our year gone." Quote said. "I met Booster while in the Sand Zone. He's got an explanation as to what exactly is going on right now with the island's stability, but it'd be better if he explained it in full. Does Sue have the teleporter linked up to the Sand Zone yet?"

"Don't try to rush me Quote, I'm trying!" Sue yelled from underneath the teleporter. "Just be lucky the Sand Zone data card was already here!"

Quote sweatdropped from where he was. "Look, I already got the ones for the Labyrinth and Grasstown. Once I get back to the village, you'll get the cards first thing, okay?"

"Fine, fine!" Sue mumbled, continuing to fiddle with the controls on the teleporter.

Quote would look back to Curly. "I'm going to try looking for another exit out of the Labyrinth. Keep your comm unit open in case I come back into range, alright?"

Curly nodded in response. "Will do Quote."

The male scout smiled. "Alright, I'll see you guys. Take care." He said, ending the transmission and leaving the group to themselves in the village. Curly would at least rest easy knowing Quote was alive, but her concern would still be apparent as she waited for the male scout to return...

* * *

"Alright, that takes care of worries there." Quote said, logging off the computer as he still gripped the Spur to his side. "Now all we need to do is check the Cold Storage for Chaba and get the Critter Juice for the crazy cat girl."

"And then we get out?" Balrog asked.

"Well since your thrusters are jammed, yeah." Quote spoke. "It's the only way at this point."

Balrog would nod as the two headed for the stairs and soon stepped back out into the Labyrinth. "Alright, so..."

"You got any idea where we should go?" Quote said.

"Maybe we should try lower?" Balrog said, indicating to further along down the path of trash. "I mean, there's gotta be a deeper point, right?"

Quote would nod, the two setting off deeper into the trashy corridors of the Labyrinth. Few vents on the sides would be belching embers every now and again as the two descended deeper and deeper...

Balrog would halt, a sound catching his attention. Quote wouldn't notice Balrog had stopped until he was a few meters away from the box-thing; looking back, he'd sigh before calling out.

"Balrog! Come on!" Quote said. "What are you doing?!"

"Hold up." Balrog would look around. "Do you hear that?"

Quote would remain silent as his audio receptors would start to pick up the sound; running water. Free-flowing running water, to be exact. Wherever the two were going, they were headed towards something that probably was going to be rather soggy.

Motioning for Balrog to come, Quote and the box-thing would continue deeper into the dank caves until parts would start looking much more mechanical, with machines lining the area. What appeared to be black sludge would be pumping through the pipes, a noxious smell still filling the room as the two proceeded throughout the cooridors, seeing what appeared to be broken down robots on several sides. Unease gripping at him, Quote continued forward with Balrog before the box-thing would point out something he missed.

"Is that a door over there?"

Quote would turn to see another entryway with a shutter-like door, what appeared to be a lock near the bottom tightly fastening it to the ground. A faded sign was above it that Quote could barely make out the word 'Storage' with his one good eye. Figuring this was the place, the male scout robot would approach the shutter and kneel down, inserting and twisting the key into the lock as the rusted hinges slowly creaked, the scout lifting the entire ensemble up to show the large storage cavern that was behind it; massive amounts of crates piled up and stacked in semi-orderly ways, though it would be evident the few that were seen toppled were more than likely because of the island's tremors.

"Well, here's the Storage Chaba wanted us to investigate..." Quote said, stepping inside. "What exactly that is, I'm not sure... but we'll try." Balrog would lumber in behind him, the dim lights of the storage room lighting the corridors between the crates as the two started to walk through. The atmosphere would be silent, aside from the churning of the filtration machines from just beyond the wall, giving off a muffled, almost eerie pulse. Quote's internal sensors would be scrambling a bit from each pulse, making him feel uneasy as he continued through the corridors...

Something just then caught his eye; what looked to be a forcefully ripped open crate with the contents within it stolen. Moving up to the crate, the scout robot analyzed the pried lid to discover there were _teeth marks_ in the wooden lid itself. That would have been enough to make him tense and switch over to combat mode, but then he noticed something else in the crate; a note, much like the ones he had seen before. Grabbing the note, he'd find it read:

 _HA. TOO STUPID YOU TO CATCH ME._

 _ITEM OURS NOW. COME GET IF WANT, WILL WRECK YOU LIKE TRASH._

 _-PIGNON STRONG_

At this point Quote was starting to become seriously agitated by the name; Pignon, Pignon, Pignon... who was this Pignon?

"Uhh... you okay there Quote?" Balrog asked.

"Huh?" Quote said, snapping out of a trance as he looked back to see Balrog looking at him from behind. "Y-yeah, I'm fine..."

"You sure?"

"It's nothing, really." Quote said, looking back to the crate. "Well, at least Chaba was right in thinking the place had been disturbed... so that's one part of what we needed to look at done. Let's find that Critter horde now." Balrog would nod as the two exited the storage room, making their way down the filtration hallway further as the corridor grew darker... and darker... until eventually only Quote's one optic was illuminating the way forward. The churning from the filtration machines would have become muffled and distant, small drops dripping from the stalactites as the two continued downward, the slope becoming slightly steep.

Quote felt his nonexistant artificial stomach churn as he got the Snake from his holster, keeping the Spur for emergency if things got hairy down here. The tenseness got to him as Balrog would accidentally bump into him from behind, causing the robot scout boy to jump in shock.

"Sorry..." Balrog said, keeping behind Quote as the path led deeper into the cavern... before they came across a wide vertical chamber, stretching upwards a fair ways before tapering off at some sort of hanging growth at the top. Light droplets of water would be dripping down from the ceiling above, the light pittering of the water against the cavern floor grazing their ears every so often.

"Dead end..." Balrog said, looking around the large room. "So... what do we do now?"

"Let's try heading back and-" Quote was almost immediately cut off as a makeshift stone door slammed shut, barricading their only exit out of the room. The scout cussed internally to himself, getting the Snake ready...

"Khss Khss Khss! WE MEET AGAIN, DUMB-BELL!"

Goddamnit.

None other than Suto would drop from the ceiling and land in front of the two, just a bit from in front of the center of the clearing. Quote groaned in annoyance; this was _not_ what he wanted to deal with right now.

"I remember that hat from anywhere, yessss...!" He started, before he then noticed Balrog. "Eh? And who's your imitator friend over here?"

"Imitator, excuse me?" Balrog said, lumbering forward. "You're the one copying my body style!"

"Oh please, as if you're so bold as to invent the box-shape style! Khss!" Suto hissed back. "But enough about me; consider me impressed at you, robot boy! A fall like that out of the butt of the island would isn't something minor. Yet you shrug it off like a champ! JUST TO SPITE M-" The snake-box was interrupted as Quote fired off a shot from the Snake as it hit right inbetween the large box's eyes, causing it to fall backwards.

"Shut. Up." Quote growled, keeping the weapon firmly trained on the box as it got back up. "I'm going to make this simple as I can put it; I don't want to see your face in my way again, understood?"

Suto would glare back at Quote. "Khss! You think I have time for your bull?!" He hissed as a low rumbling occurred in the room. Soon enough a large white Critter would drop out from the ceiling, landing right behind Suto. And by Large, it was nearly five times the size of Suto himself. "After all, a big friend of mine would like to have a word with you!"

Balrog would look at the giant Critter. "Is that the queen?"

"None of your business! Khss!" Suto hissed, before looking to Quote. "See, this Critter here and I made a deal. I'd keep the Gaudis and the crazy cat bitch from using her children as food, pets or fuel. In return, she helps me get rid of an annoying pest of my own!"

"...what." Quote deadpanned.

"PREPARE YOURSELF!" Suto hissed as he lunged at Quote. The male scout robot would dodge out of the way before Balrog tackled Suto to the wall, holding him there.

"I'll hold him off, you deal with the giant Critter!" Balrog yelled, holding the green snake block back. The male scout nodded before he turned his attention to the massive white creature in front of him. The large bloby being soon slowly leaped at Quote, the large creature shaking the ground with every small leap it made. The male scout tensed up before dodge-rolling out of the way of the creature, the robot unloading the Snake into the backside of the large Critter. The shots didn't seem to have an effect, as they just fizzled out before even getting through the creature's layered amount of body fat. The large Critter would turn to face Quote before it opened its maw, coughing up a viscerous red substance; instincts kicked in as Quote got away from the substance as fast as he could before it hit the ground, seeping into it and out of sight.

Quote gritted his teeth as he holstered the Snake; he wasn't getting through the Critter that way. There had to be some sort of weakness to it...

Quote noticed the ears of the creature; there were red baubles on the ears... what if...

Grabbing the Blade he received from Arthur off his back, he's soon rush at the giant critter and lept up the massive beast. The white being would start to shake as it tried to force the small scout robot off its body, but it would be in vain as Quote latched onto the ears of the creature and drove the blade straight through the baubles of them. The giant Critter would roar in pain as it struggled and slammed in agony; it really didn't like that. Leaping off after the attack, Blade at the ready, Quote would dodge out of the way as the massive hulking Critter lunged for him like a blob of death trying to smother him. Leaping to the side and planting his feet on the wall, he'd soon thrust off the wall and lunged straight for the baubles again, his sword piercing through one of them and ripping it clean off the Critter's ear.

The beast collapsed to the floor, growling in pain as it writhed while bleeding from one of its ears. Quote would land on the ground back a bit aways from the large Critter as he removed the large bauble from the Blade, keeping at the ready for the gigantic mammal's next move. The gigantic Critter roared as it coughed up the viscous red liquid at Quote again, the robot dodging another arcane toxin soaking as he opened fire on the mouth of the Critter with the Snake. The fireballs shot down the throat of the hulking beast as it winced at the burning feeling inside, roaring again before leaping at Quote, intending to crush him underneath its weight. The scout robot tensed up and dodge-rolled to the side out of the way, but the impact of the Critter onto the floor made a series of spiderwebbing cracks start to spread out across the floor. Quote gritted his teeth; he wouldn't have much time to waste before the entire floor would collapse from underneath the group.

Acting fast, Quote lunged for the other ear, gripping onto the bauble as the creature shook and writhed, trying to throw him off. Gritting his teeth as he held on for dear life, he'd soon pull hard and rip the other bauble off the ear of the gigantic Critter, the creature letting out another roar before it collapsed fave-first onto the ground, unmoving. Quote was panting, Blade at the ready before Suto had thrown Balrog off of him and right at the robot boy. Reacting fast, Quote narrowly dodged out of the way before charging straight for Suto, brandishing the Blade before the green box-snake jumped up and away.

"Dammit dammit dammit DAMMIT!" Suto hissed. "This isn't the last you'll see of me!" He yelled, fleeing into the darkness of the ceiling and out of sight.

Quote sighed as he resheathed the Blade. "I hope to god it is..." He muttered under his breath as Balrog waddled over with a small jar filled with a white liquid.

"Alright, got the juice, let's get back to the crazy cat girl so we can ge-" Balrog started before Quote cut him off.

"Wait... where did you get that?" Quote said.

"What, this?" Balrog said, holding up the small jar with his left fin. "From the giant Critter, of course! The saliva's got more than enough potency in it to power that giant drill-tank-thing!"

Quote was about to question the legitimacy of the claim, but he just sighed; at this rate he really wanted to get out of the damn cave and get back to the village. "Alright, let's head back then..."

* * *

"TOOK you idiots long enough!" The feline growled, swiping the jar right out of Balrog's fin. "This amount should be able to get my machine through that wall!"

"It was hell getting this excretement, so it better be worth it..." Quote grumbled under his breath as the cat opened up a hole to a tank on the machine and started to pour the liquid inside of it. The tank would slowly power on as the green exterior lights flickered back into a power mode as the engine started to rumble, a clear sign that the mech was back up and running.

"Alright, now you two idiots get out of the way!" The cat said as it lept up the machine and crawled into an unknown entrance of the large mech. Soon enough the single green eye of the mech would activate as Quote and Balrog got out of the way, the treads screeching as the large machine 'burned rubber' before the drills on the front activated, the mech charging forward and smashing through the harsh rubble of the collapsed wall, rock debris flying in all directions of the walls as it drilled through. Once it got to a good distance away from the mouth of the tunnel, Quote and Balrog would come back out to look at the drilled hole in the wall, now extending several meters in front of them. The robot and the box-thing looked to eachother for a moment before they both shrugged and followed after the large mech deeper into the tunnels...

It'd be a few minutes before they'd catch up to the tank-mech, now stopped as the tunnel was back opened up into a massive room, some sort of large round room with a criss-crossing of platforms and corridors across it, a large orb-like structure in the center of it. The cat girl would be sitting on the tread of the one leg of the mech, smirking to herself.

"Just like clockwork with that Critter juice in it!" The cat said, looking out into the massive cavern. "This is it boys, the Revolutionarium! One of these tunnels should take ya back to where you're goin'."

"Uhh... thanks." Quote said, dropping down onto one of the lower pathways. He internally sighed in relief; at least he wasn't having to deal with the crazy cat girl anymore. Balrog would plop down behind him as the two made their way across the damp corridor through the massive room, seeing other machines whirring along the walls far off from them, a couple of darker colored Gaudi scampering about. "Looks we're on the right track... let me just look..." His scanner would activate as a wireframe formation appeared over his vision of the surrounding caverns... and would soon pick up something laced with energy near the bottom of the gigantic room. "And looking from my X-ray scanners... our cell is at the bottom of the room."

"So all we gotta do is just jump down there, right?" Balrog said.

Quote shook his head. "It's too far of a drop, chances are my leg servos aren't gonna take another major nasty spill like when i nearly fell out of the island. We'll need to descend slower."

"Don't you have a repair system though?" Balrog asked.

"It's not going to be able to repair completely snapped and severed servos." Quote spoke back. "My system diagnostics can only take so much strain before they fail-"

"Shhh!" Balrog said, looking around. "Did you hear that?" Quote would remain silent, keeping an open audio receptor open as he motioned for Balrog to follow him. The two keeping quite, they moved along the pathway until they came to a large stone pillar along the path. Ducking behind it, Quote held the Spur at the ready as he peeked around the corner, seeing a horde of darker colored Gaudi, one at a front of a makeshift stone stage of some sorts... and several crushed lighter Gaudi exoskeletons at the front of the stage.

"Well... guess that answers where Chaba's shipping crew went..." Quote said to himself as the armored Gaudi on the podium spoke.

"NO LONGER will we subject ourselves to being concealed and trapped in this prison cave!" The armored Gaudi yelled. "No more will we be kept in here like insects!"

"But we are-" One Gaudi started to speak before the armored one interrupted.

"WHAT DO WE WANT MEN?!"

"FREEDOM!" The horde of Gaudi yelled in response.

"WHERE ARE WE GONNA GET IT?!"

"FORWARD!"

"TONIGHT WE DINE ON MIMIGA SOUP!" The armored Gaudi yelled...

...and any assumptions Quote had about the Gaudis in front of him would immediately be thrown out the window with that statement as Quote reassigned their threat level to 'extreme'. If what they were saying was true, the Labyrinth exit was somewhere in this room, leading back to Mimiga Village. And if they made it through, the Mimiga would all be slaughtered.

He wasn't about to let that happen.

Having kept the Spur on a consistent Level 3 charge, he'd dodge-roll out from behind the hiding spot and open fire right at the leader. The Gaudi would be knocked off the podium as the others were sent into a frenzied scampering from the sudden attack from the scout robot. He wouldn't let up on his offensive until all the other Gaudi were either collapsed on the floor or fled from the scene. Panting, Quote would reholster the Spur as Balrog came out from behind the cover.

"Was that really necessary?" Balrog asked.

"They were gonna storm Mimiga Village. I wasn't gonna let that happen." Quote spoke. "Now let's get that Cell."

The two would be traveling in silence for a bit as they steadily made their way down the crosswalks and corridors of the Revolutionarium before they arrived near the bottom of the gigantic room. Several scrapped robot parts would be sitting around on the floor of the basin, along with a small pool of water at the bottom. Sitting on a small rock above it was a small container filled with green liquid of some sorts...

Quote would pick up the container. "Undamaged, perfect. Just the condition Booster needs it in."

"Now all we gotta do is find the exit?" Balrog asked.

Quote nodded in response, stashing the Energy Cell as the two would start to move away from the small pool, soon finding a cave route downwards near the corner of the room. Sliding carefully down the incline, Quote would hit the bottom gently... with Balrog nearly landing on top of him from behind, causing the robot to spill forward face-first into a puddle. The robot grunted to himself, picking his face out, the front of his hair and bandaging across his eye soaked. Picking himself up, he'd look ahead to see a small opening near the bottom of the room. Getting close, Quote would kneel down and peer through the opening with his good eye to see a familiar sight; the darker blue cave walls, broken piping and broken lamps... they've came full circle.

"Perfect." Quote said. "Now... how to get through there..."

"Another wall we need to get through?" Balrog asked, getting up.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No problem, I got this!" Balrog said, getting close to the small hole in the wall. "Just stand back!"

Quote got out of the way as Balrog got close to the wall and...

"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"

The wall in front of Balrog exploded open as the rocks fell inward into the new hole Balrog created, and Quote's suspicions were confirmed.

They were now back in the First Cave.

"Perfect. The village is not too far from here now." Quote said. "Once we get through here we should drop back into the village, and regroup with Curly and the others and get that cell back to Booster."

"And then what happens after that?" Balrog asked as the two started into the cave towards the village shack entrance.

"Booster said he'll explain everything once he gets through the teleporter to the village." Quote said, entering the shack and dropping down through the hole into the village. Balrog followed suit right behind them as the two soon found their way to the Town Hall.

What Quote was _not_ expecting was to get tackled to the ground in a bear hug by Curly as soon as the door had opened.

"Oh my god Quote... thank goodness you're alright..." She breathed.

Quote would return the hug, wincing a bit but still keeping the hug. "Same to you Curly, same to you." The female scout would help him up as Balrog entered into the Town Hall. "Has the teleporter gotten fixed so that Booster and Misery are able to get through here?"

Curly nodded. "They're inside right now."

"Perfect." Quote said, taking out the energy cell. "Time to make a delivery."

* * *

"Now then," Booster said, straightening his glasses as he set the energy cell onto the table next to the nearly-completed Booster. "I'm quite well aware you all know why we're gathered here right now, with how... dire, the situation has become to put it bluntly."

Quote nodded. "The island, correct?"

"Indeed." Booster spoke. "According to the calculations I've researched, the island's caverns have been increasing in size and volume ever since Jenka had slipped into her unending sleep. However, the pressing issue is that the mass is remaining constant for the expansions; it is nether increasing or decreasing. The constant tremors across the island are from this unnatural expansion of the cave walls; the more the caves are expanding, the worse and more frequent the tremors are getting. And with how the tremors have been getting more frequent and violent within this past week, time may be running out to stop the collapse before its too late."

"Well, how do we stop it, if at all?" Curly asked.

"That's where my information comes in handy." Misery spoke. "From the subconscious of my mother's arcane powers have arisen two beings; Genesis, a being of creation and formation that forms matter from the destruction of the other being, Oblivion, a creature that destroys and obliterates what Genesis creates. The chaos they're wringing has been accelerating the island's collapse process along with the expanding caves. In any case, it might not be possible to save the island from falling at the rate its going."

"Which is why I took the liberty of contacting a third party for evacuation in case the island is unable to be saved." Booster spoke. "Mrs. Sakamoto will be here in five minutes to land on the Balcony for loading the Mimigas into evacuation ships in the off-chance the island is lost. Rest assured, we will find all the residents safe new homes to occupy should this occur."

"Well we should at least hope whatever the main plan is works at least." Jack spoke.

"Is... is it really a good idea for my mom to be coming all by herself with a dropship?" Sue asked.

"Your brother is coming on the Sky Dragon you own Sue." Booster spoke. "He will be rendezvousing with Quote and Curly up at the Observatory once those two have finished their tasks."

"And that would be?" Curly said, putting a hand on her hip.

"You two are tasked with eliminating Genesis and Oblivion." Misery spoke. "You're the only ones that were able to kill my uncle; if there's anyone here capable of fending off those two... things... its you two."

"Alright, but where do we go?" Quote said. "The island itself is huge; it could take hours to find their hideouts, and we don't have a lot of time, if any, to spare."

"Well, thankfully I know of that." Misery spoke. "Genesis and Oblivion's hideouts are manifested through red misty doors, and thanks to Booster, we've pinpointed their locations." Misery would pull a map out from the wall, showing two marked locations. "Genesis has made her hideout located in the Chimney to the lefthand side of Mimia village, and Oblivion has take hole in the Conduit to the right of the island-"

"I think I saw that door." Curly said. "At first I thought my audio receptors were glitching out, but... that was real?"

"Indeed." Misery said. "It's up to you two to take them down. Who goes after who, I'll leave that up to you."

The twin scouts nodded. "Anything else?" Quote asked.

Booster shook his head. "Not at the current time. But our schedule is running short."

"How long do we have before we have to abandon the island?" Jack asked.

"At the current rate if Quote and Curly can't stop the two beings... four hours." Booster spoke.

"Then we'll get going." Curly said, grabbing Quote's wrist and taking him out of the room. But as soon as they got out of the door, Curly pulled Quote to the side around the corner.

"Something wrong Curly?" Quote asked.

"I've... I've been thinking..." Curly said. "Quote... what if all of this is our fault?"

"Huh?"

"Misery... explained to me about the theory Booster had..." Curly said. "And... it's been making me think. I know our prime mission objective was to eliminate the Crown source, but... was it really right of us to kill Ballos?"

Quote fell silent as he contemplated it. Was it really their fault for killing Ballos that now these nightmarish creations from Jenka's subconsciousness were tearing the island apart?

"...Quote?"

"...I don't know." The male scout said. "All I know right now is that we need to stop those creatures. Even if it is our fault, we're righting the wrong we made."

"...are we?"

"I know we are." Quote said, readying the Polar Star. "I'll go after Genesis. You wanna handle Oblivion since you know where the door is?"

Curly hesitated... and then nodded.

"Alright then. We'll use our communicators to keep in touch with eachother." Quote said, before he took off towards the Chimney. Curly sighed before he headed off towards the Conduit...

* * *

The drop out of the island below was still nerve-wracking to her as she entered into the Conduit, the howling winds still threatening to blow her out of the island altogether. Steeling her nerves, she jumped across the gap before face-planting on the other side of the gap, near the red door. Getting up and unholstering her Machine Gun, she gripped to it tightly as she gripped the knob of the door.

Upon setting her hand on the door a wave of nausea crunched at her synthetic stomach, the feeling of dread, fear, pain... a whirlpool of emotions started to wash over her as she slowly pulled the door open, awaiting to see what horrors were beyond the door...

The next room was nothing like Curly had ever seen before; not in her memory banks... or anywhere on the island for the matter. It was a gigantic facility, weapons aligning the walls and large destroyed mechs along the floors and walls. Shredded metal, destroyed equipment, hanging broken shutters... the place looked like it wasn't just attacked, it was nearly leveled... the flickering lights didn't help, as Curly's heart started to twist in fear as she slowly stepped forward into the abandoned facility, the broken glass crunching under her boots as she gripped the Machine Gun tightly...

As she rounded the corner, she nearly gagged at what she saw. Blood. Splattered across the walls and floor, and what looked like dead researchers across the floor. Quickly, she ran up and investigated one of the bodies.

The blood was still wet.

Curly froze her metal heart nearly stopping.

Whatever was going on to mess with her head, her new fear took front-stage.

 ** _She wasn't alone in that facility..._**

* * *

Quote grunted as he pulled himself up onto the shoreline of the other side of the Reservoir. Soaked from the swimming he had to do to reach this side, he'd enter into the door and soon find himself at a vertical shaft, this one leading upwards without the threat of falling out of the island. Ascending the tall corridor, he was silently cursing to himself for not making that detour to Grasstown to ask Malco to borrow that Missile Launcher again. The Booster v0.8 he wore wasn't bad, but it was a pale comparison to the Rocket Jumping he had gotten used to during his first trip through the island.

Reaching the top of the room, he'd find the door he needed to go through... it wasn't fluctuating or glowing red though, which confused him at first. Cracking open the door, Quote would soon walk into a small corridor, containing a teleporter and another door, this one glowing and crackling red. Quote swallowed hard, approaching the teleporter and taking the data key; he'd give this back to Sue later, before turning to the door. A wave of unease washed over him as he gripped the knob of the door. Taking a deep breath, he'd twist the knob and fling the door open before moving inside without a moment's hesitation.

Then he froze.

The familiar rushing water...

The blood-red spikes...

His stomach dropped, the familiar unwanted haunting memories rushing back to him so fast...

 _ **The Waterway.**_

 _ **Why did it have to be the Waterway?**_

* * *

洞窟物語: ジェンカスの悪夢

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
Jenka's Nightmare Arc**_  
 _ **Chapter 3 End**_


	14. Arc 2: Chapter 4: Against All Odds

Quote's stomach churned as the running water rushed around the area, shuddering as he proceeded forward. The fire in his stomach burned at him as the memories started flooding back to him and invaded his mind, the images of Curly drowned and lying helpless on that bed... her blue face, the currents shifting around her...

A sharp pain entered his gut, causing him to shake his head. He couldn't afford to have his past ghosts come back to haunt him; he needed to focus!

And the sharp splash of pain in his face was what he needed to wake up, as he soon fired back at the offending Gunfish that shot at him. Grittting his teeth, he soon headed off into the watery corridors of the Waterway... to soon be met with how the corridors were now twisting and turning in unnatural patterns, the water now sticking to places where it shouldn't be...

 _It was as if the laws of physics were no longer being applied to the world around him..._

Keeping his nerves steeled, he's slide through the watery pipes before bouncing off of one of the jelly's giant heads, landing across another side of a spiky water pit. The twisting and logic-defying watery tunnels were already starting to make his head spin from what they were doing right now, let alone from the water sticking to the ceilings like gravity was twisted. Quote let the currents push him along, his feet dragging along the ground as it pushed him across the larger tunnel... before he saw the upcoming spikes. Gripping his fists tightly, he'd time his jumps, just barely having enough coverage to clear each set of spikes in his way. Skidding to a halt before bursting out of the water, Quote landed and looked at his surroundings, seeing more of the dark green blocks that made up the Waterway, currents surrounding him on all sides of the logic-defying water... but then he'd notice an alcove just a bit off from him. He'd start walking towards it...

"Genesis' effects are quite the amusing, are they not?" A familiar voice said.

Almost instantly Quote whirled around and pointed the Spur straight at the speaker; none other than the hooded figure himself.

"Manipulation of gravity, the twisting of matter into forms not even conceived by man... it's truly a wondrous feat, is it not?" The figure spoke, once again his sharp toothy grin showing. "But I can sense it in your soul. You are afraid of this place, and not because of Genesis. You have a primal fear hidden inside you..."

"You know nothing." Quote growled, keeping his aim trained on Cthulhu.

"I know more than you think, and possibly more than you will ever." Cthulhu said the robed figure slowly slinking towards the scout robot. Quote's aim never left Cthulhu, but it could be clearly seen his hands were shaking ever so slightly. "Even now, you hesitate to attack, your hands shaking ever so slightly..."

"Shut. Up." Quote growled.

"The scars of your past have not healed." Cthulhu said, walking past Quote. "Should this continue, your fate shall be sealed..." And with that Cthulhu would disappear down the alcove and out of sight. Quote would run after in pursuit... and find he had completely disappeared. Quote grunted in frustration; he should've taken the shot when he had the chance. Looking through the small alcove a bit more, he'd find a small computer terminal on the wall. Cautiously approaching it, he'd hit the small button on the terminal as a small rumbling occurred outside the alcove. Backtracking back out to outside of the alcove, Quote would find one of the floating currents was done, opening the way to a new corridor. Steeling his nerves, he'd hold his breath before plunging into the icy waters of it.

The cold coursing across what little of his metal skin was exposed shook him to his core, he tried to steel his nerves as he moved through the icy waters before being burst out through the other side, faceplanting hard onto the ground. The robot boy groaned in pain as he sat up, new scratches adorning the metal skin on his face as he got to his knees.

"Nnnnngghhh..." Quote groaned, getting to his feet as he held the Spur tightly, slowly progressing forward in the cavern until he had hit another open room, water adorning the ceiling and floor, several gaping holes in this room...

...as if it was an arena.

Before Quote could react the way back and way forward sealed up almost immediately, trapping him in there. Soon enough there'd be something that would appear from one of the holes... looking like a massive metallic maw coated in seaweed. Without a moment's hesitation, Quote fired up his scanner and scanned whatever was attacking him.

 _ **/SCAN COMPLETE.**_

 _ **/BATTLE CRAFT SGE-001 "ALPHA"**_

 _ **/CURRENT VITALITY 400**_

 _ **/VULNERABILITY DETECTED IN MAW**_

Quote silently cursed to himself as he opened fire on the craft, trying to goad it into firing and opening that maw. The mech would let out a loud screech before its maw snapped open, unleashing a massive load of metallic gear blades into the air. Gripping tightly, Quote unloaded a Spur laser right into the maw of the gigantic mech, causing it to screech in pain as it snapped its maw shut, diving back into its watery hole. Quote grit his teeth as his eyes darted between the holes on the ground, looking for the mech... and then was caught off guard as it emerged from a hole in the ceiling, the maw shooting open and now several missiles firing out of the maw at the male scout robot. Gritting his teeth, he'd dodge-roll out of the way of the missiles before unloading another Spur shot straight into the maw of the beast. Alpha roared in anger again as it retreated back into its hole on the ceiling... then Quote's panic would rise as water in massive volume would dump into the room, the flashback starting to take shape in his mind. The last time this happened was...

...was when he lost Curly.

His hands started trembling as the images started to flood his mind again, Curly's pale blue drowned face flashing before his eyes. He shook his head violently, trying to phase the image out of his mind as best he could... to see Alpha emerging from its hole again in the flooded room, eight mechanical tentacles at its base as its maw opened up, a single red unblinking robotic eye staring straight at Quote.

The robot swallowed hard before opening fire on Alpha. The robot squid from hell immediately countered and its tentacles shot out and wrapped around the male scout's body, gripping tightly and pulling hard. Quote could feel literally every part of his body sparking as he tried to stay conscious; he needed to do something to counter or else he'd die in pieces right then and there...

Gripping onto the Spur still, he'd angle the shot just right and charge up another shot, but the strain in his limbs were starting to become unbearable. Not wanting to bear the pain any longer, Quote unloaded the shot...

...and the shot would collide and drill straight through Alpha's main eye and core, killing the robot. The tentacles would release Quote as he slowly floated back down onto the ground, the water starting to sink around him...

Quote would collapse to his knees, panting in pain as he collapsed to the ground, his palms twitching. His face contorted in pain, the pain of his wounds crippling him momentarily...

Weakly, he got to his feet and limped out of the room, and into the door at the other side...

...and found himself in a void of floating white blocks and darkened pathways, cracks showing rushing lavender clouds outside. He merely limped a few steps before collapsing to the side of a stone pole with a light crystal on it, his arms and legs sparking a bit. Weakly, he reached an arm to his comm unit...

"C-Curly?" Quote said. "What's... what's your progress?"

No response. Quote tried again...

"...Curly?"

This time he got a response.

"Q-Quote? A-are you okay?" Curly said, in a hushed panicked whisper.

"I-I think I made it to G-genesis's lair, but I'm hurting a b-bit..." Quote choked out. "My limbs feel like they're about to fail. What's your progress?"

"Horrified, scared for my life, and probably thoroughly traumatized." Curly responded, her voice shaking. Whatever she was going through on her end, it sounded like it was pure hell. "A-are you gonna be okay?"

"I-I just need my repair systems to kick in shortly..." Quote breathed. "I just need a pause."

"A-alright..." Curly spoke. "I-I think I'm close to Oblivion..."

"Please..." Quote said. "Be careful, alright?"

"...you too. I don't want to lose you..." Curly spoke before the comm unit shut out. Quote sat in silence for a while, waiting for his strength to return to him. As he sat there, he started to mull over his thoughts about the situation... and what Curly said to him back at the village. What if it was truly their fault? What if their mission was only to lead into a bigger disaster as a whole? The thoughts plagued his mind over and over again. Maybe...

 _...would things have been better if Quote and Curly never reactivated in the first place?_

The male scout robot shook his head. No. He couldn't think like that; people's lives were saved because of what he and Curly did. If they never reactivated, all the Sakamotos would have possibly died at the hands of the Doctor, as well as the rest of the Surface below...

After a few minutes, his system reading were outputting at 70% recovered. The male scout decided that was good enough as he slowly got to his feet, looking onwards and proceeding slowly... as the pathway formed around him, lighting up and fading out ever so much as the clouds kept swirling by...

 ** _'It is a beautiful sight, no?'_**

Quote froze, looking around. Where did that voice come from?

 ** _'And yet you're as confused as ever, like a lost puppy...'_**

Quote felt unease starting to eat at him as he continued to follow the path towards the end...

 ** _'Why do you fear, child? Why do you fear this dream?'_**

Quote approached the door, gripping tightly to the Spur as he slowly entered into it, everything going dark...

 ** _'Why would you want to end this dream? This is the dream of creation. The dream of rebirth. A dream of beginning anew for this island. This world. If you wish to end it, you'll find that your task will not be so easily completed...'_**

With that, the darkness would vanish from around Quote to find himself among a set of platforms high above the floor below, a set of spikes adorning the entire floor. The platforms looked fragile, something hard and solid could easily shatter them...

Quote gripped the Spur tightly, eyes darting around to see anything...

...and then Genesis appeared. The figure was a white ring as its body and eye, a single red pupil floating in the space in the ring. It had a short tail and a set of sectioned wings on either side of its body.

 ** _'I... am Genesis.'_** The figure telepathically spoke. **_'And from your ashes I shall create anew...'_**

Quote gripped the Spur tightly as Genesis disappeared, small sparks starting to rise up from the spikes and between the platforms. At the same time, Quote's platform started to glow red and start shaking. The scout robot wouldn't hesitate before he dashed and lept off the platform, the platform collapsing behind him as soon Genesis surfaced from where the platform originally was, the pupil glowing red as it fired off a laser straight at Quote. The scout robot retaliated by firing off the Spur at the same time, the two beams colliding in the center and cancelling eachother out as a massive smoke cloud kicked up from the center of the blast. Gritting his teeth, Quote would unsheath the Blade and rush forward into the smoke cloud, using it as cover as he lept from the platform towards Genesis...

...and would soon find the figure had vanished as he skidded across the other platform, nearly going over the edge. The winds would begin howling as large blocks would start materializing out of thin air to collapse down onto the scout robot. Gritting his teeth, Quote made a mad dash across the platforms to avoid the falling blocks, knowing very well that the crushing force would be more than enough to render him helpless...

Diving away from the next block, Quote would unholster the Spur right as Genesis rematerialized again, ready to attack. Quote got the jump though and shot first, the piercing white beam colliding with the beast and knocking it backwards, smoke starting to curl of its wound. Genesis hissed before releasing a volley of red ring-line shots straight for the male scout. Gritting his teeth, Quote made a dive inbetween the dead space of the ring shots, just narrowly grazing the shots as his damage readings came up. He shrugged it off; as long as a major limb wasn't crippled, he could still fight. He fired off another shot, but Genesis disappeared at the last second, the shot harmlessly whizzing by off into the distance.

 ** _'You are most interesting...'_** Genesis' voice echoed across the room. _**'Why do you continue to fight for what is meaningless in the long run? Everything comes to an end. And from it, things begin anew. It is a cycle. Why do you wish to break it?'**_

Quote grit his teeth. 'Don't listen to her, she's just trying to trick you!' He thought to himself as soon the rising sparkles turned red and started speeding directly at him, the robot would barely have time to react as he attempted to dodge out of the way of the sparkles before one struck him directly in the back, throwing him to the ground in an instant as his damage readings came up.

 ** _/WARNING! TORSO HAS BEEN DAMAGED 57.6%. STARTING AUTO-REPAIR DIAGNOSTICS..._**

Quote grit his teeth as he weakly got to his feet, his eye darting across the arena for the appearance of the beast once again... then was caught off guard as Genesis suddenly wrapped it's wings around Quote, constricting him tightly and not letting him go. Quote grit his teeth in pain, struggling to squirm free, but that only made Genesis tighten its grip around the scout robot harder, risking crushing him into a complete metal scrap.

"Hrrrghh... Nnnnggh..." Quote grunted, trying to reach for his Blade...

 _ **'Cease your struggling...'**_ Genesis spoke, tightening its grip as Quote yelled harder. **_'Your end will be over soon...'_**

Quote's inner systems were going haywire. 'Just a few more inches...' He thought, trying to reach for the Blade...

"Not if I..." Quote growled, gripping the Blade's handle tightly as a spark ignited in his eye. "...HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!" He swung the Blade backhanded, the sharp metal cutting straight through Genesis' body, slicing the monster clean in half. Genesis screeched in pain as it started glowing a bright white, a deafening screeching noise filling the room as Quote's sensors were overloaded, a bright white light blinding him...

...then felt a hard slam as he crashed into the ground of the metal structure below, feeling the stinging pain surging through his body. "Nnnnnngghh..." He groaned, struggling to get to his feet as he felt his synthetic legs wobbled... "Owwww... where..."

And then he froze as he recognized where he was.

Back at the Core room.

 ** _Back where Curly drowned._**

The fear spiked in his chest as the memories came flooding back to him; the Core's deranged roaring, the Doctor flooding the room, being on death's doorstep... only to wake back up and see Curly drowned in the room, sacrificed herself to make sure he lived. Quote dropped to his knees, gripping his head in agony and fear as his whole body shook. The pain of the memories was becoming too much for him...

...to the point where he was easily ambushed.

"VILE MURDEROUS SCUM!" A voice yelled as Quote soon found himself pinned to the ground. Snapping out of his traumatic memories, he'd struggle to get out from under where he was crushed only to feel a blade pressed into the back of his head. "You've killed your last Gaudi today! From now on you're the prisoner of the Labyrinth self-proclaimed heroes! The GAUDSKATEERS!"

Quote silently cursed to himself before he felt a slam to the back of his metal head, knocking him cold...

* * *

Curly gripped her Machine Gun tightly, her eyes frantically darting to nearly ever shadowy corner as she slowly stepped forward in the facility, the sparking, flickering lights not exactly helping her nerves as the cracking of glass, with the occasional squishing of blood, echoed on the floors. Curly's hands trembled her fear spiking as her eyes frantically darted across the corridor she had just entered. What she wouldn't give to trade places with Quote right now...

It was then she'd come across a shutter and a nearby computer terminal, the massive shutter blocking her path. Tensing her nerves, she'd go over to the computer terminal to look through it for a switch of some kind. She soon found it, flicking it to begin the shudder opening... but something on the screen caught her eye. A document file, off in the corner of the desktop screen. Clicking on it, Curly would open the file to read:

 ** _January 12, 2017_**

 _ **Production is going well. Using the strange red flowers we've harvested from the floating island, our medicinal studies have grown exponentially. The creatures that live on the island, the Mimiga as they call themselves, have developed a strange allergic reaction to these flowers, however, as they seem to get unbelievable sick when they taste it. Studies are being kept for further analysis.**_

 _ **January 18, 2017**_

 _ **Determining the red flowers is the Mimiga's allergen was simple enough. However, the medicines we have attempted to produce from these flowers have shown a volley of negative side effects within human cognative speech and actions. We've ceased the production of these medicines until we can find a proper counteragent to nullify the negative side effects...**_

 _ **January 26, 2017**_

 _ **There was an incident today involving the Mimiga. One of the many Mimiga children living among our researches managed to somehow avoid security detection and found his way into the vault. It had then proceeded to consume copious amounts of red flower petals we had kept safely locked away, and the child became vicious and feral. Any sort of sedative shots or tranquillizers had no effect on the creature at all; we had no choice but to euthanize it.**_

Curly's stomach doubled-over after reading that last line; she still couldn't believe what she had just read.

"They... they killed a child?" She choked out. "It ate the flowers, but... but..."

At that point the screen in front of her cracked and went black. Any more entries she would have read, she just lost her chance as the terminal broke down. Gripping her gun in fear, she continued on deeper into the facility, feeling the cold, lifeless air hang around her as her eyes darted to every shadow...

...and then she was attacked from behind by a creature she didn't see. Screeching in fear, she unloaded her Machine Gun straight into the chest of the monster without a second though as it fell limp and collapsed to the side. Panting heavily as if her life depended on it, she'd soon look to see her assailant... and her heart nearly stopped.

It was a rabid Mimiga, charcoal black fur and tattered green robe...

Curly ran away from the sight as fast as she could, soon rounding around a collapsed corner and stopping, kneeling to catch her breath and get her synthetic heart rate down. Feeling her hands still trembling, she slowly moved forward as she started climbing up a set of collapsed rubble to a higher floor, soon reaching a walkway above the floor. Continuing to look around, she'd soon see a shutter above the walkway; there must have been a way up. Keeping her gun gripped, she'd roll along the walkways; more of those flame fans from the Labyrinth appeared to be in the ceiling, glitching out of control. Steeling her nerves, she'd soon find another computer terminal, throwing the switch and opening the other shutter.

And then she'd notice another journal document. She'd open it.

 _ **February 3, 2017**_

 _ **Negotiations with the Mimiga are at an all-time low. Despite our best efforts, the incident with one of their children has led them to believe we were at fault. There is little doubt in my mind that we truly are. I fear that child's curiosity has sparked a civil war between human and Mimiga kind...**_

 _ **February 9, 2017**_

 _ **The higher-ups have doubled down on security today. Many of my co-workers are showing signs of unease from the amount of increased security drones within the facility. I myself am too stressed by this. I can do nothing but watch, knowing the looming feeling of dread coming next in this acursed place...**_

 _ **February 12, 2017**_

 _ **A security drone shot and killed a Mimiga on sight today; whether or not it was the result of intentional programming or a glitch within its system, I do not know. But my fears are being confirmed; I have applied for leave immediately.**_

 _ **February 15, 2017**_

 _ **There still has been no response on my application. What are the higher-ups doing? Do they see me and my co-workers as nothing more than expendable resources? Why has there been almost no communication?**_

 _ **February 19, 2017**_

 _ **My fears have become all too true now; the Mimiga have become utterly hostile towards humans. One had bit and attacked a member of security; it was immediately neutralized as a result. I can do nothing... nothing but watch as things collapse around me. I need to leave. Leave before things spiral so far out of control...**_

And then the terminal broke down, just like the last one. But Curly's mind was reeling in horror from what she just read. The words couldn't even find her mouth to describe what she just read.

"Was..." Curly choked out. "Was this an experiments lab for testing on... on Mimigas?"

She felt horrified as her eyes darted around the area. What other kinds of messed up Mimiga monster horrors were going to come out at her? She didn't want to stay around to find out; she darted back for the shutter as fast as she could, going up it without a moment's hesitation as it closed behind her. She felt a chill go up her spine as her eyelights activated.

She soon wished she was just stumbling around in the dark instead.

The bodies of Mimiga and researchers were surrounding her, the smell of blood hanging heavy in the air. Most of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition, blood splattered across the walls and floor. Curly felt like she was gonna heave, if she could have any stomach contents to heave to begin with. Gripping her gun tightly, she continued onwards through, past the mutilated bodies of human and Mimiga alike...

Climbing up into a higher ledge, Curly found another shutter... but no terminal. Swallowing hard, Curly activated her thermal scanner to find the terminal... and her fears were confirmed as she traced it back in one of the body piles. She swallowed hard... and got out her Machine Gun as she blasted apart the body pile, clamping her eyes shut as she wouldn't want to witness what she was blasting apart. She could still feel small chunklets splattering on her, and she didn't even want to see how badly she was covered in blood or other things. After a few moments she stopped, reopening her eyes and seeing the terminal. She walked up to it, hitting the switch and throwing open the shutter... and then seeing the journal entry. She swallowed hard, opening the file.

 _ **February 28, 2017**_

 _ **It has been a month since my application to leave, and still no response from any of the higher-ups. I am trapped here, like a rat. Security robots have been swarming the facility. We can hardly do any sort of research from the amount that flood the halls of this place. I just want to return home...**_

 _ **March 6, 2017**_

 _ **The Mimiga have broken into the vault, and taken the red flowers and the medicines for themselves. Security is at an all-time high, and morale is at an all-time low. There are rumors starting to circulate around that they are going to start 'pushing back' against the Mimiga. They have done nothing wrong here. Who is in charge of this operation, and why are they so desperate to start a war between species?**_

 _ **March 13, 2017**_

 _ **Something horrible is amiss. There are more reports of more and more security robots going rogue and attacking both man and Mimiga alike. My heart is filled with so much sorrow and worry, I can hardly sleep a full night's worth. I've now been filling out applications for leave constantly ever since February. When will I leave this place?**_

 _ **March 20, 2017**_

 _ **They have started a full-on war.**_

Curly's heart shattered at reading that.

 _ **I have been reassigned from research to hands-on medicinal work. Men and women, and Mimiga alike are bloodied and beaten. I can do nothing. Nothing but hope and pray.**_

 _ **March 25, 2017**_

 _ **They have brought in a weapon from outside the facility they gleefully nickname the 'Deconstructor'. I tried to force myself onto the transport before it left, but I was apprehended, and told I'm needed here. I pray for my sanity.**_

 _ **March 31, 2017**_

 _ **They've turned on us now.**_

Curly froze at that statement. Who were 'they'?

She'd find out just a few sentences later.

 _ **Security robots everywhere, some trustworthy, others fiendish. They don't care if we're man or Mimiga anymore. Why is this happening?**_

 _ **April 2, 2017**_

 _ **I've managed to stop the bleeding. I don't have much time left. If anyone's still alive, and they read this journal...**_

 _ **RUN.**_

And right as the terminal shut off, a bright light would be shining down on Curly, causing the robot to freeze. Slowly turning around to see what was behind her, her pupils dilated. Her breathing became uneven. The Machine Gun dropped from her hands, both of which were shaking in fear at the sight in front of... or more accurately, above her.

The machine was massive, it's single spotlight eye shining down on Curly as she looked up at it. The four legs would be connected to the walls as it stared down at Curly...

It's eye turned red.

Curly hesitantly scanned the machine.

 _ **/SCAN COMPLETE.**_

 _ **/DESTRUCTION CRAFT 'DECONSTRUCTOR'**_

 _ **/CURRENT VITALITY 1000**_

 _ **/NO VULNERABILITIES DETECTED**_

And the last stat made Curly's metal heart start beating faster than ever before.

 ** _/CHANCES OF SURVIVAL: MINIMAL_**

The machine roared, and Curly scooped up her Machine Gun and bolted for her life as if it depended on machine would stomp after her in pursuit as she kept bolting for any cover she could find. She knew she had no chance against the maverick machine at this state; the only option she had was to run. The machine screeched as bay doors on its main body opened up, firing off several missiles right for Curly. The female scout robot dodge-rolled to the side out of the way of some of the incoming missiles, but the blast threw her away and crashed her into the wall. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pick herself up and got out of the way before one of the massive legs came down and smashed right where she was not just a second ago. Panting heavily, Curly was in panic as she still fled from the large machine of death. She bolted through the open shutter, only for the machine to burst through the wall above it, keeping its deadly pursuit. The metal screeched under the feet of the gigantic mech as it soon lunged for Curly; the female scout robot would just barely roll out of the way before it attempted to crunch down on her, and in a feeble attempt to try and fight back, opened fire with the Machine Gun on the machine. The shots only plinked off it's armored casing as it retaliated with another missile barrage, aimed straight for Curly. The female scout screamed as she was soon launched from the blast, faceplanting into the ground.

Scrambling to safety, Curly would see a door upcoming and quickly dived into the inky blackness... and soon found herself falling. Falling into a neverending void...

She then felt a slam, hitting solid ground hard as she struggled to get to her feet. Shaken from her fall, she'd look up to see her surroundings; several stone platforms would be floating in the neverending black void, small pillars jutting out of the ground around them... and the platforms would appear decaying the further and further they went into the darkness.

And then Curly would be jolted from her headset.

"...Curly?"

Jumping a bit from the sudden comm unit, she then answered the response.

"Q-Quote? A-are you okay?" Curly said, in a hushed panicked whisper.

"I-I think I made it to G-genesis's lair, but I'm hurting a b-bit..." Quote choked out. "My limbs feel like they're about to fail. What's your progress?"

"Horrified, scared for my life, and probably thoroughly traumatized." Curly responded, her voice shaking. "A-are you gonna be okay?"

"I-I just need my repair systems to kick in shortly..." Quote breathed. "I just need a pause."

"A-alright..." Curly spoke, glancing around at her inky voided surroundings. "I-I think I'm close to Oblivion..."

"Please..." Quote said. "Be careful, alright?"

"...you too. I don't want to lose you..." Curly spoke before the comm unit shut out. Glancing back to her surroundings, she slowly got to her feet, starting to step forward through the black darkness. Reholstering her Machine Gun, she'd get out her Nemesis, tightly gripping the gun as she walked through the void... and she started to hear soft sobbing... small white orbs starting to flow from under the platforms up into the inky darkness above...

 ** _'You see how they are? With their suffering?'_**

Curly swallowed hard, gripping the Nemesis tightly as her eyes darted around the darkness. Where was that voice coming from?

 _ **'Their end is doing them a favor.'**_

Curly would notice she was drawing closer to the more decayed stone structures, seeing a door entering into a black abyss. Swallowing hard, she gripped her gun tightly...

...and entered into the door. She felt weightless as soon she looked around herself. She was floating in an inky black void, little white specks floating by her.

 ** _'All things must end so they may begin anew. Why would you stop me? How can you stop me? Destruction is an absolute. You are powerless to oppose it!'_**

Curly would open fire as a flurry of blood-red shots erupted from the void towards her. The Nemesis would spit fire as she collided the shots evenly, and then she'd see the large darkened claw-like hands coming from the darkness, each one bigger than her...

And then Oblivion would open its eye, the gigantic blue eye staring down on her.

Curly opened fire on the massive eye, the shots colliding and causing Oblivion to retreat its eye into the darkness as the hands came back, lunging for Curly as if to grab her. The female scout robot would weave out of the way as she felt the hands whiz by her. just barely missing her frame as Oblivion's eye reappeared, staring directly at her. Gritting her teeth, Curly opened fire on the eye, only for it to retaliate with blood-red ring shots headed straight for her. Taking quick action she'd dive through the center of the shots, but then one of the edges of one would clip her arm, sending her systems on the fritz. Clamping her eyes shut to try and endure the pain, she'd fire randomly at the creature in hopes of hitting it, but to no avail as it sunk back into the darkness.

Curly tensed up, before feeling herself gripped from behind by a sneak-attack claw, gripping her tightly and crunching her in its like a stress ball. Curly yelled in pain as she felt her endoskeleton being crunched from all sides, squirming to try and break free...

The crunching would become harder, Curly's struggling becoming fiercer and fiercer as her fear settled into her heart.

 _ **'This is your end. You were a fool to think you could take on me...'**_ Oblivion taunted, revealing itself again. _**'Now lie down, and die.'**_

"N...no..." Curly groaned out, still struggling as she reached for her last resort. A fire in her eyes appeared as she managed to wrench free one of her arms, unloading Nemesis shot after Nemesis shot into Oblivion's eye. The creature roared in pain as the grip was released, and soon Curly started unloading both barrels into the arcane being. Then a deafening screech would come from Oblivion as it exploded into a bright white light...

* * *

At that moment a loud shattering sound was heard across the Sand Zone as the barrier surrounding Jenka's house had fragmented and shattered completely, exposing the entry points to inside. Misery would have warped in not too long after, feeling the disturbance in the field.

"Th... they did it..." Misery breathed, landing down. "They actually did it..." She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. "Hold on mother, I'm-" She was cut off as a loud rumbling was soon felt across the island; another tremor, the worst one yet. Misery was caught off-guard as she almost lost her balance... but soon her fears were confirmed as the barrier rematerialized around the house.

"!" She grunted. "NO! We were so... close!"

* * *

...Curly would feel herself faceplant to the floor hard as the metal echoed around her. She groaned as she got to her knees, holding her head in pain. Slowly opening her eyes, she could faintly make out her location...

The Core room.

Curly shuddered, the memories flooding back to her of her few final moments before drowning in here... but then her heart stopped at what she saw.

Quote's scarf was hanging off of a disembodied robot arm, not far from where she was. Quickly running up to it, she could see the damage to it; someone had forcefully ripped it off of the scout robot. A fire burning in her robotic heart, she donned the scarf around her neck and took off for the exit of the room, her Machine Gun at her side and her Nemesis securely stationed in her holster. She knew Quote had to be in trouble at this point; he wouldn't just leave his scarf behind like that...

Rushing through the door, she'd find herself back in the older abandoned part of the Labyrinth, back when she and Quote first started their breakout. Keeping her gun steady, she kept along the path, blasting apart any Gaudi that stood in her way, before she was coming back up towards the beginning of the corridor... only to find a sight she wasn't hoping to see. Ducking behind a pillar, she peeked around to get a better look.

Quote was deactivated, tossed into a cage hanging from the ceiling. Several of his metallic scars that were welded shut had been sliced open again, and the bandaging across his eye had been torn off, showing that empty socket once again with the wires hanging out. Below the cage would be four other larger Gaudi, wearing armors of different colors, surrounded by a rallied crowd of other Gaudi.

"The time of arms is now!" One of the four armored Gaudi yelled. "One of the two metal killers of our kind has finally been captured! The other is now helpless against our combined powers!"

"The Mimiga will soon finally be ours for the digesting!" Another of the four yelled. "This island shall become ours!"

A rage ignited in Curly's heart at what those Gaudi said. Here they were, acting high and mighty just because they got Quote, and now they were calling her weak? Powerless? Her rage grew more and more...

And then one of the four said something that caused her to give away her positioning.

"Who would dare try to object our might and power?!"

Curly rushed out from behind her spot. "I do!" She growled, causing every single Gaudi in the room to look at her. The four gigantic Gaudi would glare at her.

"Ah so the coward killer finally reveals herself!" One of the armored Gaudi said. "What could possibly bring you here on such a whim? Decided to surrend-"

"As IF!" Curly roared, pointing her Machine Gun and her Nemesis straight at the four. "I'm going to tell you how this goes. You're going to give me Quote, and we're gonna leave as if none of this ever happened. And if you don't..." Her eye twitched as she kept her aim squarely pointed. "Well, I think we know how we know that'll go down... so I suggest you make your decision carefully."

The Gaudi would do nothing more than laugh at her. "You? Take on us? Get real!"

Curly grit her metal teeth. "Don't say I didn't warn you..." She growled, soon opening fire on the armored Gaudi as the other Gaudi fled in scrambling locations. The armored Gaudi would start throwing blades right for the female robot, trying to impale her limbs and stop her shooting, but Curly wasn't having it, a dark flame in her eyes showing as she continued her rampage. Letting loose a flurry of fire from her guns, she never let up on her shots at all, soon enough taking down all four of the armored Gaudi with almost no effort as she panted heavily, gripping both her guns tightly. The reality catching back up to her now, she quickly dashed over to the cage and lept up to it, ripping the bars away as she rushed over to the fallen male scout, deactivated. Quickly searching over his body, she'd find the activation indent on the backside of his body; a small pinhole-sized hole right above the small of his back. Quickly thinking, she'd look around before finding a small needle on the ground and sticking into the hole in the back of the male scout.

Quote's single optic would flicker on, soon looking over to the female scout. "C-Curly?" He choked out as the blonde hugged him tightly.

"Never... do that... again..." Curly's voice cracked, hugging Quote tightly.

"Curly..." Quote choked out. "I-I can't move my legs..."

"..." Curly fell silent, looking down at the ground.

"Grab the Tow Rope, it's in my back pocket." Quote said. Curly nodded, reaching around and grabbing the rope out of Quote's pocket before lifting Quote onto her back.

"Don't worry Quote, I'll get ya back to the village no problem..." Curly spoke, tying the rope securely around the two before she took off back towards the village route...

* * *

"Jeez, you're in real bad shape Quote..." Sue said, taking a look at Quote's circuits on the lower half of his body. "Whatever the hell those Gaudi did to ya, they certainly spared no mercy in what they did..."

"How... how long's it gonna take to repair the damage?" Quote asked.

"Well, thankfully since I'm here and Professor Booster is too..." Sue said, looking up at Quote's face. "Should be no more than half an hour at the least."

Curly sighed in relief. "At least the damage isn't permanent..."

"There is some good news, however." Professor Booster spoke, approaching the group. "While the barrier around Jenka's house has rematerialized shortly after you two defeated Genesis and Oblivion, the island has significantly doubled its time of survival to eight hours, meaning we have a bit more leeway with the evacuation plan. Now... while Quote is getting his legs repaired by Sue, Curly, you need to make your way to the island's Observatory just above the Outer Wall. Now, normally it'd be as easy as returning to the Egg Corridor at the top of the Conduit, however..." Professor Booster's expression would be a bit concerned. "With the harsh winds of the Conduit threatening to suck you out of the island itself, we're having to reroute a detour through another uncharted part of the island."

"Are... are you sure that's a good idea?" Curly asked.

"It's the only chance we have at this point." Booster spoke, taking the Booster off of Quote and handing it to Curly. "Thankfully enough Quote's communications link is still intact, so he can keep in touch with you as you're going through the uncharted route."

"And this is...?" Curly asked.

"Farther up at the top of the Chimney." Booster spoke. Curly would look to Quote.

"I-I'll be fine Curly..." Quote spoke. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"There might not be a need to." Sue spoke. "When I was examining the teleporter, it turns out there's a teleporter up at the Observatory and one all the way up on the Balcony that's deactivated right now. If you can reactivate them, Quote and the rest of us can get up there no problem!"

"Which would make the evacuation process much easier..." Curly said, starting to smile and cocking her Machine Gun. "Alright, I'll head for the Observatory and open the way for you guys." She walked out the exit of the door as Sue continued her repairs on Quote.

"So..." Sue asked. "What was fighting those magic creatures like? Was it as hard as that one you two fought last year?"

"Naaahhh..." Quote spoke. "I've dealt with worse..."

* * *

Keeping level with the Booster v2.0, Curly would soon find the ascension past the entrance to the Waterway became a lot more perilous than she anticipated; red spikes were now starting to line the walls, as well as the large instant-disable spikes at interval locations. Keeping her mind focused, she'd soon find her way up to the top of the entire shaft... finding another door, and her sensors went mad.

 ** _/DANGER! DANGER! HIGH ARCANE LEVELS DETECTED BEYOND ENTRANCE! PROCEED WITH UPMOST CAUTION!_**

Curly swallowed hard, gripping tight to her Nemesis...

"Curly, can you hear me?" A voice said, causing Curly to jump. Her eyes darted around the cavern space before she realized it was her headset.

"That you Quote?" She asked.

"Sorry, too abrupt?" Quote responded through her headset. "Either way, I'll be trying to keep an open link with you until you get to the Observatory, alright?"

"Perfect plan to me." Curly said, gripping the Nemesis tightly. "You sure you're gonna be okay without seeing what I see at all?"

"As long as I have a comm link open to you, we can react accordingly." Quote said as Curly made her way to the door. Upon moving through the doorway, Curly was hit with a wave of nausea as she gripped her head, trying to regain focus... and as soon as she saw her visuals, she'd know why.

In front of her was a grassy passage much like Grasstown's passages, but the grass was dead and brown, the owl blocks cracked and broken, some of the chains rusted and corroded as they hung from the ceiling along with more of the lethal spikes lining the cavern. Across from Curly would be another entrance, metal surrounding it like a shack, a skull overtop the door, its blood-red pupils looking right at the female scout robot...

But the scariest part of it all... the place was flourishing with Hell's Hibiscus, the arcane flowers giving off their mind-numbing bitter aroma...

Curly froze.

 _This was a breeding ground for the hibiscus._

 _And her only way forward to get to the Observatory._

"Curly?" Quote asked. "What do you see?"

Curly hesitantly responded. "Quote... there's more of them."

"Them?"

"The hibiscus." Curly responded. "The Sand Zone warehouse wasn't the last place where they were."

* * *

洞窟物語: ジェンカスの悪夢

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
Jenka's Nightmare Arc**_  
 _ **Chapter 4 End**_


	15. Arc 2: Chapter 5: Uneven Grounds

"Wh-what?!" Quote responded.

"I'm not lying!" Curly said. "This place... it's like a true cultivation ground for the hibiscus! They're everywhere!"

"If there's hibiscus, more than likely there's going to be trouble." Quote spoke. "Keep your guard up."

"A-alright..." Curly swallowed, gripping her gun tightly as she proceeded towards the metal door across from her, a shiver going up her spine from the skull marking above it. Pushing the metal door open, she'd soon find herself in an open verdant cavern, still filled with the Hell's Hibiscus and dead grass. A wave of dread and unease filled Curly as she stepped into the unholy garden of the flowers, feeling tense...

And then she heard what could only be described as crunching. Freezing her eyes would dart between the area until she slowly crept forward, peeking around a stone structure to look at the source of the sound... and almost immediately she felt she was going to be sick.

There was a rabid Mimiga, large and swolen as if it had eaten the hibiscus. It was completely feral, only making snarling and hissing sounds as its head twitched violently, ghawing on what its unfortunate prey was; the corpse of a Sky Dragon as it laid there, motionless. Feeling a tightening in her chest, Curly kept herself as quiet as possible until the rabid Mimiga had left the area. Once she heard the lumbering footsteps walking away, she sighed in relief, stepping out from behind her cover and looking around the area. She'd soon see that the garden path would start splitting off into multiple different passageways, each one with a skull overtop it engraved in stone... however, one of the markings would be red in its eyes, seeming to set it apart from the others...

Not knowing which path to choose and trying to keep her caution up, Curly slowly started down one of the non-red skull paths in the room, walking into a darker and darker corridor... before she soon found herself coming back to the beginning of the room. Dumbfounded, she looked towards the pathways again. She could have _sworn_ she was walking straight the entire time...

"Hey, Quote?" Curly said over her headset.

"Yeah Curly?"

"Something weird's going on in here... I tried going straight down one pathway and it just looped me back to where I was before..." Curly said. "If this kind of progress is just gonna keep leading me in circles, I don't know what I'm gonna do..."

"Hmmm..." Quote spoke. "Can you describe your surroundings?"

"Well..." Curly spoke, looking around. "What I can definitely see around me are several dead grass tunnels... they're leading to other areas... or potentially in circles... one of them has red eyes in the skull above it while-"

"While the other ones don't?" Quote asked.

"Yeah?" Curly spoke.

"Then that might be your answer right there." Quote spoke. "This area you're at seems to be testing you in a way. Try looking for anything out of place, it could be the way forward."

"Alright..." Curly said. "I'm a bit worried though... there's rabid Mimiga here... feral rabid Mimiga..."

Quote was silent a bit before he spoke again. "...if there's feral rabid Mimiga in there, chances are they'll already be beyond saving. As much as I hate to say it... if they attack you, just relieve them; they're probably more in pain how they are now."

"..." Curly was silent, looking down at the floor.

"Curly?"

"Y-yeah..." Curly swallowed. "A...alright..."

"...I know its hard for you Curly. It was hard for me too." Quote spoke. "But I know you can get through this."

"...Okay." Curly said, cocking her Machine Gun. Soon enough she started down the path of the red-eyed skull... and soon found she was finally making progress in this twisted botanical maze. Her surroundings were still similar, but now arranged in a different way as the grassy paths were now twisting off in new directions. She'd hear more snarling; more of the feral Mimigas. Keeping her Machine Gun steady, she slowly start to move forward through the dead grass, feeling it crunch underneath her feet...

And then a loud thump would come from behind her, followed by hot breath going down her neck. She'd freeze in place, glancing behind herself at what was nearby...

Only to see a large, red-eyed Mimiga glaring her down.

Curly whirled around and opened fire on the rabid Mimiga, blasting it away as the gunfire started to draw in the other rabid Mimigas towards her. Curly kept her fire up as she lept back away from the rabid Mimigas, making sure her energy bullets were on point and colliding with the gigantic white creatures...

...and it wasn't long before a pile of the rabid Mimiga was nearby the female robot, blood now splattered across her. Curly would pant heavily, her arms shaking a bit as she held tightly to her Machine Gun, glancing left and right across the area in case of any other rabid Mimigas would come nearby...

She'd slowly start taking steps forward to the next set of tunnels, seeing the stone skull sets again above the tunnels. Her eyes quickly scanned over the tunnels before she located the skull with the red eyes, heading down that path... before she started to feel the grass disintegrating below her, like dust. She soon slid down a slope before coming into a new area; the grass had turned to a dull sand, stone ruins starting to jut up from the dust, depicting ancient stone tablets and other runes of sorts. Along the walls were blue flame torches, along with several stone murals...

Curly soon realized what those murals were picturing.

 _It was of the events of the island; including her and Quote._

A chill ran up her spine as she looked over the murals; they dictated of the events of the island that had happened over the years, Ballos's imprisonment and rage, the creation of the Crown, the past rulers...

...even up to the events of last year...

She swallowed hard. How did this place know?

Trudging through the sand, gripping tightly to the Machine Gun as she proceeded through the sandy tunnels... before coming to a large sandy room, several metal houses lying half-buried in sand with doorways leading into them. Small trickles of sand would be flowing in from the top of the room, bloodied chains hanging down from the ceiling... along with vines of the hibiscus.

Curly tensed up as she looked at the doors; there was no indication to which one was right like the last set of the grassy tunnels. She looked between the doors, and then approached one of the buried houses. Steeling her nerves, she'd slam the door open and look inside... to see it pitch black. Gripping her gun tightly, she'd slip into the doorway... before she emerged from the other side in the same room... in another doorway. Confused and frustrated, she'd start checking the other doors and end up popping out of the other houses in the room, only to keep popping out of other doors in the room. Starting to get angry and frustrated, she'd approach the last door... only for it to open an eye and look straight at her! Curly, already sick of going in circles, just blasted the door to ash as she stormed through it... and soon found herself into a new sandy room, more metal houses surrounding the area.

"What..." Curly shook, before she realized.

She shot a door possessor before she entered into here. The house with the door possessor must be the tell!

Gripping her Machine Gun, she'd slowly start checking each of the houses, looking for the door possessor, before she found it on one of the houses at the back. Blasting the door apart, she'd proceed deeper into the gardens... as the floor changed again, from sand to metal and stone. Looking ahead, she'd see the room was in a cross shaped formation of crossroads, a series of identical ruined pathways leading to several different shutter doors. At the center of the crossroads was a glass tube, filled with hanging vines of the hibiscus vines...

Curly tensed up, gripping her Machine Gun as she started towards the glass tube at the center, giving her a chance to look down all the other corridors... and she noticed they were all looking exactly identical. And not just as similar in build, as in they were exact carbon copies of eachother. Curly felt unnerved at the deadly accurate symmetry of the cooridors... and she then realized that this would make things easier to spot anything out of place in them. She smirked; if the last few rooms were having minor differences to set aside the way forward, this should be no problem at all!

Looking down each corridor, she'd start to examine each one carefully, keeping her eyes open for any sort of difference between the corridors... and soon she found it. It was _really_ subtle, but one of the panels on the north corridor was peeled back a bit, showing more circuitry. Smirking, Curly would head through the shutter door and ended up in a similar looking crossroad corridor, but she knew for a fact this time she was advancing. Again she started scanning over the corridors to locate the out of place object... before she found it by a few hanging hibiscus vines in the east corridor. Smirking, she went through the next shutter; this was gonna be easier than she expected!

Curly would enter into the next crossroads and start looking around them for the next set of out-of-place objects in the corridors... but her search was starting to become harder and harder to track down any sort of differences. Gritting her teeth, she'd keep looking between the separate corridors, looking for any sort of difference... before she found a minute difference in the corridor she just came from; a few hanging sparking wires hanging from the ceiling.

"No... it can't be that ridiculous..." Curly spoke, opening the door to where she just came from... only to find herself in a new corridor, once again grassy like the first one she had stepped in when she had entered into this maze of gardens.

"How..." Curly sighed, dumbfounded before she gave up. "Fuck it, this place is already making no sense whatsoever, why am I trying to apply logic now?" She growled, holding tight to her Machine Gun as she continued onward through the grassy corridor, before reaching another door, adorned with black stone and a skull overtop the entryway. A sigh above, rotted and cracked read 'Abandon all hope who enter in here.'.

Curly rolled her eyes. "Riiiiight... like this is gonna be anything bad." She spoke to herself, gripping tightly to her gun as she threw the door open...

...and her heart nearly stopped from what she saw.

"N... no..." Curly breathed, nearly dropping her Machine Gun. The painful memories were flooding back to her...

It was the Sanctuary.

Her hand shaking, she slowly reached a hand up to her comm unit and contacted the others. "Q-Quote?"

"Yeah Curly?" Quote spoke.

"This is possibly the worst possible path the island naturally laid out..." Curly spoke, fear rising in her chest.

"What?" Quote asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Th-this..." Curly swallowed. "H-how can I explain it... are you able to look through my eyes with our linkup set?"

"I... think?" Quote asked. "Why?"

"You... you just need to see this..." Curly breathed, getting the link set up for Quote to see...

* * *

The male scout was slightly concerned to know exactly what had Curly encountered, but he sighed. Not like he was going anywhere right now with his current leg repair work...

"A-alright?" Quote said, shifting as bit. "Go ahead and show me..." There was a bit of silence as Sue was working on his legs.

"Let's see... a bit more of reworking these wires..." Sue muttered to herself before she could feel Quote tense up. "Huh?"

Strewn across Quote's face was a wide-eye horrified expression, his body trembling slightly.

"Wh-what..." Quote breathed. "N-no... nonono..."

"Q-Quote?" Sue asked, concerned a bit. "Are you okay?"

"Something tells me what Curly is showing him is not something he wants to remember..." Professor Booster spoke, looking at the male scout robot.

Indeed he'd be right as the painful memories would start flooding back to Quote, the screams of Curly's pain on her impaled arm ringing in his ears once more, the pounding pain of the screeching trapped souls... he'd grip his head in fear, artificial tears starting to flow as the painful thoughts started to come back, causing him to start shaking.

"Sh-shut it off Curly." Quote whimpered.

"Quote?" Sue asked, worried.

"P-please, make it st-stop..." Quote was shaking uncontrollably now. "Stop..."

Sue was seriously starting to get concerned now; there was not telling how Quote was going to react at this rate...

* * *

Curly swallowed hard, deactivating the optic link out of fear of Quote's reactions getting worse. She could already tell from his initial reaction his mind was starting to give, but thankfully his breathing was starting to return to normal.

"I-I never wanted to see that place again..." Quote muttered.

"Are... are you gonna be okay Quote?" Curly asked.

"Just... never show me there again..." Quote muttered. "I don't need to be reminded of that hell..."

Curly would be in silence as she started to trek through the ruined sanctuary. Her nerves flared up as her feet slowly moved throughout the ruined corridor, feeling the heat of the lava that had burst through the first time was slowly seeping into pools in the ground. The heat particles were rising upwards towards the cracked ceiling, the blood splattered across the walls and floors of the area. Small piles of ash were strewn across the area, possibly the remains of the cherub-like creatures from the first run through the area. Curly gripped her Machine Gun tightly as she moved closer towards the end of the corridor, feeling her nerves flaring up as she neared the small altar room where she and Quote fell...

The hole was still there from where Heavy Press had fallen the first time, just caving in from the center of the room. Small trickles of lavafalls were pouring down into the center hole, down towards the statue room of the old Plantation. Swallowing hard, Curly tightly gripped the wall and slowly started to climb down the rocky hole, keeping her hands tightly to the wall just in case something would fall by...

And then the rock broke out from under one of her hands. Curly's fear spiked in her chest as she gripped hard with her other hand, glancing downwards at the bottom of the pit below. She swallowed hard when she could see the wreckage of Heavy Press at the bottom of the crater, several red spikes now popping up down there where she didn't remember. Swallowing hard, she slowly continued down the pit's rocky wall, keeping as close as she could before she slowly stepped down at the mouth of the corridor to the statue room where Heavy Press had crashed through the first time. Remembering there was a doorway to the Plantation, she'd look behind her to see if it was still there... only to be met with a collapsed corridor, the doorway behind several tons of rock. Looking down the pit more, she'd see the scrapped Heavy Press up close, large red spikes stabbing out of the metallic frame. Swallowing hard, she'd climb down and step down to the side of the large wreck, avoiding the spikes as far as she could. Her heart racing a bit, she'd look over to see the doorway to the corridor to the Seal Chamber, cracked and ruined as if it hadn't been moved in years. Swallowing hard, she'd push open the door.

The door caved in, showing Curly the corridor to the Seal Chamber, in even more ruin than before. Large chunks of rock were torn away, showing the outside sky and sea of clouds below. Curly would swallow, slowly starting to approach the upper corridor as she approached the entrance of where the Seal Chamber once was, seeing a solid stone wall immediately behind the door. Pressing her endoskeleton hand against it, she'd get a painful shock as she stumbled backwards, a reading coming up in front of her.

 ** _/WARNING! ARCANE CORRUPION DETECTED! INITIATING RECOVERY-PURGE DIAGNOSTICS..._**

Curly gripped her endo arm in pain, wincing from the electric pain coursing through it as she stumbled back, falling back onto her back. Groaning, she'd try to sit up, only to feel another harsh tremor; the island was shaking again, this one even worse than the last time. Gripping hard to the ground out of fear she'd be thrown out one of the holes in the sides of the hall, her heart nearly stopped as she felt the ground give out from under her, feeling herself fall before hitting the ground hard, clenching her eyes shut.

"A-aaahhnnn..." Curly moaned, sitting up before looking around. She'd look up at where she fell from, finding herself having fallen into a corridor underneath the chamber. "Wh-where..." She spoke to herself, before rolling over and looking over the edge of the corridor.

She had narrowly dodged a bullet; she had fallen into the corridor on the Outer Wall.

Swallowing hard, she shakily got to her feet and stumbled towards the door to where she remembered there being a storage shack from Quote had told her. Upon opening the door, Curly would find a much different sight; The room was much more expansive, a large runway opening at the far end of the room as if it were fit for a plane to land in. A deactivated teleporter sat near the wall of the left side of the room, looking like it hadn't been used for quite some time, as well as a large cylindrical generator, its turbines motionless as it sat there. Several ammunition crates and storage containers were strewn about the area, papers scattered across the floor like the place was abandoned. Curly approached the teleporter, looking over it as she tried to find the power switch on it as she activated her comm unit.

"Quote, are you there?" Curly said.

"Yes, everything okay?" Quote asked.

"Yeah, I'm at the Observatory now." Curly answered, still working at the teleporter. "It should be on any second. How's your legs coming?"

"Sue got them finished about five minutes ago." Quote answered. "We'll be through once that teleporter's up and running."

"Roger that." Curly sighed, ending the comm as she finally found the power unit, flipping it on. The teleporter slowly whirred to life as it booted up, a green energy sparking within it before it fully powered on, whirring as it waited for the next user to teleport.

Quote and Sue were the first ones to come through, Sue shivering a bit as she stepped into the Observatory. "Y-yikes... it's a lot colder in here than I expected..."

"It might be due to the open hatch." Curly said, indicating to the large opening in the room, before looking to Quote. "How's your legs?"

Quote would stretch them a bit. "A little stiff, but noting a little walking won't loosen up. What about you?"

"A little battered and bruised, but I'll live." Curly spoke as the teleporter brought through it's next two passengers through; Misery and Professor Booster. "Everything okay with you two?"

"We'll be fine." Misery responded. "We just need a bit of cover for the time being so we can get to the Balcony."

Booster nodded, fixing his glasses. "Now then, the helicopter will need to be landing on the upper Balcony, while Kazuma will be able to land through here. Quote, Curly, your current objective is to go through the passage leading up to the Balcony and get rid of any sort of hazardous obstacles that may stand in our way; with how the caves are laid out and how the creatures are starting to grow hostile, it could be too dangerous to try and escort all the Mimiga through."

Quote nodded, gripping the Spur tightly. Curly pulled out her Nemesis, cocking it and readying her trigger finger. "We'll take them out." Quote said. "You've got our word."

"Good." Booster spoke, looking over to another door up a flight of stairs. "The Plantation should be right through there; head for the top and you should be able to find your way to the Balcony."

Curly smiled. "We got this." She said. "Ready Quote?"

The male scout nodded, gripping the Spur tightly. "Let's go." He said, the two entering through the door into the Plantation.

The sight on the other side was not what the two were expecting to see. The grassy fields and spiraling spires of the original large cave had been long since abandoned, dead grass now strewn about and ruined planting fields and destroyed sprinklers. And if that wasn't enough of a bad sign, Quote and Curly's scanners were going haywire.

 ** _/DANGER! ARCANE LEVELS DETECTED IN HIGH AMOUNTS! PROCEED WITH UPMOST CAUTION!_**

"That can't be good..." Curly said, gripping her Nemesis tightly as the two slid down from the doorway and to the ground. Slowly stepping out into the Plantation, Quote and Curly's grips tightened on their guns, their optics darting between every corner of the cavern...

"I remember Chaco telling me there was some sort of reason this place was evacuated and sealed off..." Quote spoke, keeping his grip tight. "And I'm a little hesitant as to see why..."

Curly swallowed hard, keeping her Nemesis close as her boots trampled over the dead grass. Her ears would keep open for any sort of auditory cue, feeling tense at any sort of sound coming from the area.

And then Quote would notice something. Something... off about the area. The red puddles...

Quote would hold his arm out, causing Curly to stop dead in her tracks as she started looking at what Quote was looking at. Gritting her teeth, she'd ready her Machine Gun at the dripping red puddles as they started to form...

"I shoulda known that sunovabitch wouldn't stay down after the first round a year ago..." The female scout growled, keeping her weapon trained on the blob starting to morph into the gigantic hulking red figure, it's eye opening up and staring down at the two.

Quote's nerves steeled as he took aim with the Spur, soon opening fire on the massive creature. The large red blob let out a roar before lunging for the two in an attempt to crush them or drown them inside itself. Both Quote and Curly would dodge to opposite sides out of the way of the attack, right as the massive goo creature came down and crunched the ground, splashing into a large goo wave.

"Split up!" Curly yelled, the two going their separate ways and fleeing into the different parts of the Plantation, leaving the goo monster to itself. The creature let out a roar before diving after Quote off in the direction he took off in.

"I've got it distracted!" Quote contacted Curly over his comm unit. "You find the route towards the top of the island, and I'll catch up with you then!"

"Got it!" Curly said, leaping up to a higher ledge as she rushed on ahead. Quote kept his focus on the creature as it chased him downwards from the center area of the Plantation, the massive creature sliding down the massive crevasses with it's goo-like composition. Quote gritted his teeth as he took aim at the goo creature, firing off a Spur shot at it. The goo would splatter into a large splash, large gooey chinks flying around the area. The robot dodged out of the way of the splattering goo as he soon lunged and rolled onto a small island in the middle of the large reservoir of the Plantation, gritting his teeth as the large red blob slammed onto the island, letting out a roar as red spikes slashed up around the edges. One way or another, only one was leaving after this battle.

Quote gripped his Spur tightly as the massive creature reformed into the creature it is now. The eye rematerialized in its eye as it let out a loud roar, lunging for Quote, intending to swamp him. The male scout would roll out of the way, opening fire with the Spur on its gooey body, but it didn't affect it at all. The male scout growled to himself as he dodge-rolled to the side as the goo creature brought one of its hands down right where Quote would have been. The male scout retaliated with another shot of the Spur, but the body just kept absorbing the shots. Gritting his teeth, Quote would grip tightly to the Spur and took aim at the creature's eye, soon opening fire on the point. The massive creature would screech in pain as it reared back, gripping over it's eye for protection.

Quote smirked; he found what caused this thing pain! Keeping his fire up on the eye, he'd continue to try and shoot through the goo hands at the eye. The hands were protecting the weak spot a bit too well; soon enough the beast would start lumbering forward towards Quote, ready to bring it's fists down onto the male scout robot. Quote tensed up as the large creature brought it's hands down, smashing the ground where he once was, before its eye sunk into its gooey body and reappeared somewhere else on it, looking directly at Quote.

The goo creature roared before its eye glowed brightly, firing off a large beam straight for Quote. His sensors went off like mad; that beam was nothing but pure condensed arcane energy, meaning it would more than likely fully kill him if he even touched for more than half a second. Swallowing hard, he dodged to the side as the beam starting tracking him across the ground, scorching it as it went. The robot, gritting his teeth, juked hard to the side before opening fire on the eye once again, causing the creature to roar in pain once again.

Seeing his opening, Quote would grip hard to the Blade before slinging it forward, unleashing a flurry of slashes straight for the eye of the massive goo creature. It roared in pain more and more before the gigantic creature exploded, sending the red corrosive goo everywhere. Quote ducked down as it splattered across the ground and into the water, hearing the sizzling of the goo on the ground as the spikes retracted back into the soil of the small island. Wasting no time, Quote activated the Booster and lept of the island, hovering back over to the shorebank of the reservoir.

Tapping a finger to his comm unit, he spoke. "Curly, you alright up there?"

"I'm still searching." She replied. "What about you?"

"That creature's dead now." Quote spoke. "I'll be coming to regroup with you shortly."

"Alright." Curly said as the comm cut out. Readying the Booster again, Quote took off up the slope and started making his way towards the top of the island...

* * *

Soon enough Quote had gotten back to the mid-point of the Plantation with Curly as she was looking up the large shaft where the elevator original was to take them up to the top of the island. Lightly tapping her foot, she'd be looking up at the sealed shaft before looking to the male scout.

"I think I found our way up, but those doors are still sealing it off from our last ascent..." Curly said. "There's gotta be some way to disable the locks on them..."

"Chances are there must be a backup generator somewhere in the Plantation..." Quote spoke, activating the thermal scanner in his good eye. "There's no telling where it might be in here though, and there's also no telling how many hostiles there might be here."

"We need to be careful then..." Curly spoke as Quote got a reading.

"Got it." The male scout said. "There's two of them, off in separate corners of the Plantation."

"We split up and get those?" Curly asked.

Quote nodded in response. "Keep your comm links open; there's no telling what might still be here."

Curly nodded before the two bots went their separate ways off into the upper parts of the Plantation, both keeping their guns at the ready as Curly pulled herself up to a higher ledge. As she continued through the Plantation, the nagging thought of their dire situation only grew in her mind, as well as her doubt. Was it truly their fault Jenka was like this? Was... was it their fault the island was collapsing the way it was now?

The thoughts started to plague her mind more as she soon slowed her pace, merely only walking before just full-on stopping altogether, soon slumping against the rock wall near the side of the Plantation, looking down below. Her thoughts were now swarmed in an emotional cocktail whirlpool inside her processors as she contemplated the multitude of the events...

"Maybe..." She whispered to herself, her interior hurt growing more and more. "Maybe it's best... that Quote and I don't survive after ending this mission..."

"Showing yourself doubt, are you?" A voice said, causing Curly to tense up a bit, but she didn't dare move. "Why the cold shoulder? This can't be the same blonde I've met before..."

Curly clamped her eyes shut, not even moving from her spot as she remained silent. _"If I don't give him a response, he might just go aw-"_

Curly's thoughts were interrupted as a familiar clawed hand tapped her on the head. _"...dammit..."_ She thought. "What do you want?" She growled at the now-present Cthulhu, seeming annoyed by his presence.

"Nothing more than checking up on how you and your little soldier boy are doing." Cthulhu spoke, grinning that familiar toothy grin. "However, it seems you two are a bit... 'misguided' as of right now."

Curly glared at the hooded figure. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" She spat.

"Something I cannot reveal... now."Cthulhu spoke, starting to slide back into the shadows. "All will b-" He was suddenly interrupted by the strike of a plasma bolt hitting the wall mere inches from his hooded head.

"I don't want it eventually." Curly growled, the smoke curling from the barrel of her Nemesis. "Tell me. Now."

"You'll get nowhere with a tongue like that, young one." Cthulhu spoke, his grin faltering as he spoke in an annoyed tone. "I highly suggest you leave the topic alone for now and not pry into things you don't understand."

"Then make me understand it." Curly growled, aiming the Nemesis directly at Cthulhu. "Now. Or else I'm gon-"

She didn't get the chance to finish that sentence as she was harshly thrown against the wall, held in place by some sort of arcane power as she struggled to move. Barely being able to open her eyes, she'd see Cthulhu with his hand out, the same red glow adorning it, an angered scowl twisted across his face.

"I said, _leave the topic alone._ " Cthulhu spoke, a new acidity in his tone that wasn't there before. " _The next time you try to pry into something you don't understand, it will cost you your life, understood?_ "

Curly's fear started to spike as she started to squirm severely, afraid to find out what Cthulhu's bad side would be like...

" _UNDERSTOOD?!_ " Cthulhu barked, causing the female scout to squeak.

"U-understood! Please!" Curly whimpered, her mechanical heart beating almost a thousand times a second.

Cthulhu's anger seemed to dissipate as he dropped the scout to the ground. "Good." He merely spoke, before melting into the shadows and out of sight.

Curly was panting heavily as she tried to internally calm herself down, but right now her mind was rapid-firing questions in such an incoherent manner she was almost scared to learn any of the answers to them.

"Wh-what the fuck was that?!" She silently mouthed to herself from the experience as she quickly reached a hand to her comm unit...

...but she never got the chance to contact Quote as something sharp swung into the back of her head.

* * *

The trek through the dead and abandoned tunnels of the ruined Plantation had been mostly uneventful for Quote, aside from a few hostile creatures here and there, but nothing too serious. His nerves were a bit on edge however; even if that goo monster was dead, letting his guard down would be the last thing he wanted before being attacked.

Skidding down a steep slope, he'd continue onwards through the caves of the Plantation, before seeing what appeared to be a ravaged shack, not that far off from him. Keeping his Spur close, he'd get close to the door before he broke it down, entering into the house SWAT style, keeping his eyes roaming to every corner possible. When it appeared there were no hostiles in the area, he'd loosen up a bit, checking across the ruined shack for anything. Disturbing were the messages scrawled across the walls of 'IT'S TOO MUCH MAGIC" or "WE HAVE TOILED IN HIS DOMAIN".

Quote became rather unnerved from what he could only describe as the scrawls of insanity as he investigated the shack... and found a ravaged chest near the back of the place with a note, much like the other ones he found; signed by some sort of 'Pignon'.

There was that name again! At this point Quote was getting more annoyed than anything else so he just left the note as he left the shack and continued down the corridor before coming to a giant room, a large machine sitting against the back wall, inactive as though it hasn't been run for a while.

"Alright, there's the generator..." Quote said, stepping down into the room and moving over to it. "Now, let's just get this thing up and running..." He'd fall silent as his mind worked at trying to repair any sort of damage the generator might have sustained during its inactivity. Once he turned a final gasket on the side of the machine, he's pull the lever on the front on the machine, sparks flying as the level latched into the on position. Soon enough a low hum started to whirr across the cavern as lights would start to boot up all across the ceilings, artificial light now flooding into the larger cavern as a loud bellowing sound came from the main cavern. Smirking, Quote started to head back out of the tunnel before he got to the center cavern, looking up to see the gigantic steel doors at the top of the cavern starting to slowly open.

"Alright... that's one generator..." Quote spoke. "Hopefully Curly has found hers..." He said, reaching for his comm unit. "Curly, you there?"

No response.

"Curly?"

Still nothing. Quote was starting to grow concerned at the lack of response, trying his set again.

"C'mon Curly, th-this isn't funny..." Quote said. "Please, say something..."

Yet again, silence. At this point Quote's fears were starting to be confirmed; something was wrong with Curly. Something had gotten her. His thoughts were rushing as soon something new came to him.

"Quote, you there?!"

The male scout was jumpscared as he fell backwards onto the ground in shock, shaken a bit from the sudden voice. The vision in his eye cleared to soon see what appeared to be a virtual screen of Sue about a foot in front of him.

"W-wait, Sue?" Quote said. "How did..."

"Found this old 'ConTracker' tablet in a crate pile in the Observatory here." Sue spoke. "Managed to modify it a fair amount so that way I could link up to you guys. That's beside the point though; Curly's in trouble!"

"What?!" Quote said. "Where is she?!"

"I've got her tracked to somewhere deep within the Plantation." Sue said. "I'll upload her tracked coordinates to you right now; just hold on!" Quote held himself in place as he soon felt the data uploading into his memory banks, his internal GPS honing in on her location.

"Got it!" Quote said, rushing off to find Curly...

* * *

"Nnnngghhh..." The female scout moaned as she slowly regained consciousness, her optics refocusing into finding herself... strapped to some sort of large machine in a spacious cavern. She'd struggle to move any sort of her body, but she'd find that her limbs weren't responding at all. She felt... wet. Like there was some sort of liquid surrounding her, except for her mouth and nose...

Her vision would start to blur again, and she'd try to squirm more and more, trying to break free of whatever containment she was in...

"C-can't... move..." Curly thought, starting to lose consciousness...

* * *

Quote panted as he slid down the grassy tunnels towards the bottom of the island; of all the places Curly had to be tracked to, how the _hell_ did she manage to get taken away to here?! He shook his head; save her first, ask questions later!

Skidding out the hole near the bottom of the cavern, Quote's boots would skid to the halt on the hanging scaffolding below the island, feeling the wind whipping through his body as he took off across the series of hanging platforms, feeling the wind whipping through him as he lept from platform to platform about the sea of clouds.

His sensors would soon pick up what appeared to be a faint buzzing sound, which initially confused him. Soon enough he'd look down to see what appeared to be a set of helicopters coming towards the island...

"The Sakamotos!" Quote thought to himself. "Momorin must be coming to evacuate the Mimiga!" That fact made him realize he had to hurry and get the route cleared for them, but he needed to get to Curly first!

Keeping his head level, he activated the Booster v2.0 and jetted across the larger gaps in the hanging scaffolding, using his boosts effectively as he skidded across each platform. His audio sensors would pick up buzzing as he'd soon look to his sides; Gaudi were now swarming out of the island and straight for him.

"Figures that they'd start targeting me..." Quote mumbled to himself, getting his Spur ready as he opened fire on the swarming cockroaches. The shots would disintegrate the exoskeletons as they started dropping out of the sky. Gripping hard to the Spur with one hand, Quote would leap and activate his Booster, gripping straight onto the chain ahead of him as the torque angle shot him straight into a hole in the ceiling, out of sight from the rest of the Gaudi as he landed on the hanging cave interior. Panting heavily, he held tight to the Spur as he pressed onwards into the hanging cavern. Leaping over a bed of razor red spikes, Quote would grab the wall and start climbing, feeling the wind whipping around him as he scaled the wall. Reaching the top, he's soon see the hanging scaffolding of stone ahead of him, security devices adorning them.

"Great..." Quote muttered to himself. "No one ever said this was gonna be easy..."

Taking a deep breath, Quote would rush across the scaffolding the island, soon the defenses activating as twin Sentry guns popped out of the ground and opened fire on the scout robot. Ducking behind the wall, Quote holstered the Polar Star before getting out the Snake from his other holster. Tensing up, he'd turn to face his cover, firing off the phasing shots through his cover as they soon snaked and collided with the Sentries, causing them to spin violently out of control, opening fire on eachother before simultaneously exploding, kicking up a fair amount of smoke.

Blaring sirens would echo across the scaffolding as security drones dispatched from hatches and started flying in on Quote's position. The scout robot gritted his teeth, soon making a rush out from his cover as the drones opened fire on him. The robot would soon grip his blaster tightly as he had his Spur unleash hell on the other drones, blasting apart them as the scrap metal fell into the sky. Quote swallowed hard as he soon launched himself upwards and gripping onto the hanging ceiling above. The drones would soon open fire on the monkey-barring Quote, the shots barely missing him as he soon ducked up into the opening above right as a metallic hatch sealed shut behind him.

The scout robot would pant heavily, feeling his synthetic heart pounding in his chest as he slid down against the wall. His mind was racing as he soon tried to get to his feet, gripping tightly to the Spur as his lone eye would dart around the dark metal corridor, slowly moving past the tube capsules, holding something inside them...

Suddenly, one would shatter from behind him, shocking the robot as he whirled around and aimed the Spur at what figure had collapsed out of the capsule. Hands shaking, he pointed it as the figure that had collapsed had slowly gotten to its feet to reveal... Curly?

No... no, there was something very wrong with the Curly in front of him, stark naked as the day she was created. It could barely stand, its legs trembling under its own weight as it's blonde hair obscured its face. When the hair fell to the side a bit, Quote would see its eyes wren't natural... they were blood red. The fake Curly moaned as it lumped forward towards Quote like some sort of zombie, looking to latch onto him... before Quote blasted its head open with the Spur, the robotic corpse falling to the ground.

Quote's metal skin began to crawl, a pit forming in his stomach as he soon proceeded further down the corridor, soon shooting down more of the fake Curlys that tried to attack him before he reached what had appeared to be the inner sanctum of the fortress. Along the far side of the wall was a massive machine, a large screen at the top and several large pipings soon funneling through the room. Quote swallowed, slowly proceeding into the room as his lone eye darted around.

"Curly, please be okay..." The scout said to himself as he soon laid eyes upon the capsule attached to the large machine, the naked form of Curly inside the capsule with nothing more than a breathing mask over her mouth and nose, the capsule filled with a liquid as she remained suspended in it, unconscious and unmoving, her clothes in a pile on the floor beside the capsule...

Without another word, Quote would hurry and activate the shutdown process on the machine, the capsule soon draining as Curly collapsed inside it before it opened, the android girl spilling out onto the ground as Quote soon scooped her into his arms.

"Curly!" He exclaimed. "A-are you alright?!"

"Mmmmmgghh..." The robot moaned, slowly opening her eyes. "Q-Quote...?"

Quote would hug the girl tightly. "Thank god you're alright..."

* * *

洞窟物語: ジェンカスの悪夢

 _ **Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga  
Jenka's Nightmare Arc**_  
 _ **Chapter 5 End**_


End file.
